I Still Can't Believe We're Doing This
by Tori of Lorien
Summary: The long-awaited sequel to Tori’s and Halo’s random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we’re still just having fun. Enjoy! Complete!
1. Chapter 1

**I Still Can't Believe We're Doing This**

**Summary: **The long-awaited sequel to **Tori's **and **Halo's **random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we're still just having fun. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I wish we could say differently this second time around, but even though we've now been a part of _National Treasure_, we still own nothing. Except ourselves, of course.

**Halo's A/N: **Hey, guys, we're back! I figured since Tori just posted chapter one her newest NT fic "Gentleman's Masquerade," I figured now would be a good time to get this one started, too. Thanks to everyone for your support throughout our first fic, as well as for your encouraging responses to our trailer! It's nice to know some people besides Tori and myself are actually looking forward to this, lol. Oh, just a quick note to say that while we're still aiming to be funny like before, this one will probably end up having a bit more of a serious feel to it overall since it's a new, unpredictable story line for our characters. And so with that, let's get going, shall we? Enjoy the sweet fluffiness of Chapter One!

**Tori's A/N**: Hey, I concur (that is _my_ word now, lol) with Haley when I say that I'm so glad you're all so excited for this like we are! And I did start "Gentleman's Masquerade" for all those fans of "The Forgotten Heir" for your literary enjoyment, and I think that you will all enjoy it! And also, it's true that this story will still be humorous, but it will be a little more serious than the last one as me move through it. And it won't run exactly like the movie because we are adding in our own little flair, but it'll still be awesome. And you know what else? This will be my 50th story!! So, I'm excited about that. But without further ado, let's get started!

**Chapter 1**

"Home sweet home." Tori pushed open the door to her and Haley's large and comfortable house, situated no more than a mile away from the Gates' historical estate. "Although, I suppose it's not _really _home."

"It is now." Haley sighed and slumped down onto their couch in the front living room. Tori joined her.

"Did you really expect to find anything else?"

The older girl shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I didn't really _expect _anything different – but I could always hope."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Tori empathized. "It was tough seeing our old homes when none of the people inside or in the neighborhood were the same. I was honestly surprised the buildings were even the same. But still, you don't think it was a totally wasted road trip, do you?"

"No, not at all. We'd both been wondering about our homes back in the Midwest for a while, so it was good just to go back and make sure." She sighed again. "Two years, Tori. It's been two years, and we still haven't been sent back home. I guess we really are stuck in _National Treasure__. _And it's more like real life now, too, since we don't know all the details of what's going to happen next."

The younger brunette nodded solemnly in agreement, but her expression soon grew thoughtful. "Well, what about the second one?" she posed. "Do you think we'll be stuck in that, too?"

Haley worried her bottom lip between her teeth, suddenly hesitant and unsure. "I don't know. What do you think?"

"Well, I'm actually starting to think it's not going to happen. Like you said, it's already been two years, and I don't think there was that much time in between _Book of Secrets _and the first movie. I mean, Ben and Abi broke up a couple months ago, sure; but we haven't seen anything else happen yet that was part of the sequel. I guess we'll just have to wait and see, but I wouldn't count on it now."

"Right." Haley nodded, but didn't seem at all to share her friend's conviction.

"So, what do you want to do tonight?" Tori asked, changing the subject all of a sudden. "After we get all unpacked, of course, but it's only four o'clock."

Her friend chuckled and got up with her from the couch. Now that she was nineteen and entering the prime of her young adult years, Tori had acquired the habit in recent months of wanting to stay up late and being active almost every night. Haley would join her in such excursions every now and then, but recently the elder of the two young ladies, though only twenty-three, seemed to be losing her taste for the nocturnal exploits at a rapid rate.

But today, when asked what she wanted to do that night, Haley smiled. "Tori-kins, I'm glad you asked, 'cause I just remembered that I need to go the bookstore."

"The bookstore?" Tori was incredulous. "I mean, don't get me wrong, Halo, I love the bookstore, too. But we were just there the day before we left on our little road trip back home – back to the Midwest, anyway. Why do you need to go again so soon?"

"Because I read through most of my new stuff when we were driving, and you know how I can always use another book."

Tori shook her head, amused. Even in the movie world, some things just never changed. "Fine, go ahead."

"Excellent! I'm just glad that after a whole year we finally got things worked out with you being able to get your drivers' license, otherwise I would've had to do all the driving there and back. Oh, and you have to come to the bookstore with me, too, okay?"

"I do? Why?"

"To keep me from going overboard, of course, since it's so easy for me to do. But with you there, I promise I won't take too long, and then we can go do whatever you want. Deal?"

"Okay, deal! Maybe I'll give Riley a call and recruit him to join us, too."

"If he's even home."

"Please, I'll bet he's only left his precious laptop for a handful of hours the whole time we were gone," Tori joked as she picked up her duffle bag. "Why wouldn't he be home?"

Haley just shrugged innocently and followed her friend up the stairs. "Oh, no reason."

* * *

A couple of hours later, Tori and Haley were driving down the street in the direction of the local bookstore. After a week-long road trip, it would take some time for them to get back into their normal routines. Tori was attending a local university in the DC area with a double major in English and history, and Haley managed their finances while independently doing a lot of reading on specific topics more to her own interest.

"So," the elder began casually, "what are your plans for tomorrow?"

"Well, I'm supposed to meet Mike in the school library at nine thirty tomorrow morning to work on our physics project, so I probably shouldn't stay out _too _late tonight."

Haley grinned madly and threw a pointedly suggestive glance at her friend. "And how is _Mike,_ anyway?"

Tori glared daggers back at her. If Haley hadn't been driving, she probably would've gotten slapped. "Hey, I can't help the guy's name," she defended herself. "It's totally a coincidence! And besides, he's just my lab partner."

"Ah yes, of course. And does Riley know about your little 'study-buddy'?"

Tori immediately grew even more defensive. "Why should this be any concern to Riley? For the thousandth time, he's just a friend! Like Mike."

Haley nodded, definitely not convinced. "Uh huh. Whatever you say, Tori-kins. And now look, we're here! Doesn't time just fly by when you're having fun?"

"Yeah, sure. Loads of 'fun'." Tori rolled her eyes and got out of the car once Haley had come to a stop in the bookstore parking lot, which struck her as being unusually crowded for a Saturday night.

"What's going on here?" she wondered aloud, but Haley ignored her and began leading the way inside. Once they passed through the automatic doors, Tori was shocked to see crowds of people all milling around something near the front of the store.

"Haley, what's going on here," she demanded again, rightfully suspicious now, and it didn't help when Haley just smiled and grabbed her arm, leading her further toward the center of the throng. Tori didn't recognize any of the faces as they made their way forward, but when they drew nearer to the front, she could have sworn she recognized a very familiar voice. But no, surely he wouldn't be here now – it was impossible!

Yet she would later have to admit she was mistaken when the crowds parted, and seated there at a large desk, surrounded by stacks of the same book, was Riley Poole.

She gasped. "Riley?"

"Tori!" he exclaimed happily, rising in his seat and motioning her forward. "I'm glad Haley got you here just in the nick of time. Are you surprised?"

The young brunette nodded, still a bit shocked. "Yeah."

Riley laughed. "Good! You were supposed to be. Thanks again for your help, Haley!"

Haley smiled at him from further back and gave him a "thumbs-up." It had been her pleasure to help him so surprise her dear friend.

But Tori was still confused. "Riley, what's going on?"

"What's going on?" The techie reached down to grab one of many identical manuscripts on his desk and held it up proudly for her inspection. It was a title and cover she already knew very well, indeed.

"I wrote a book," he went on excitedly, "about the Templar Treasure and all other kinds of obscure 'conspiracy theories,' per say. Isn't it great? And _you _get to have the first copy! Signed by me at the publisher's launch and personally dedicated to 'my awesome friend Tori'."

As her understanding had grown, so had her smile, and by now Tori was practically beaming! No one had ever done something quite this special for her before.

"Thank you, Riley," she said while promising herself she wouldn't cry and accepted the personalized first copy that he held out to her. "This really is incredible, and I can't wait to read it!"

"Great! I can't wait to hear what you think of it." Riley wrapped her up in a big hug, and then Tori faded back into the crowd while his attention was drawn back to the others present for the launch. She eventually drifted back to Haley's side.

"And here we were just saying that nothing else from the second movie had happened," she scolded her friend in a whisper. "Why didn't you tell me about Riley's book?"

Haley smiled and shrugged sheepishly. "I didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"Well, believe me, I was definitely surprised!"

"But in a good way, right?"

"Yeah, it was good." Tori nodded, gazing back down at the book in her hands. She opened the first page and found Riley's note to her inside the front cover.

_T,_

_Here's a special book for a special girl. Thanks for sharing all those crazy adventures with me!_

_Your friend always,_

_Riley Poole_

Tori smiled as she finished reading. This was something she would treasure forever! She then ran her finger affectionately over the last few words, not even caring that Haley was watching her with a knowing smile of her own.

"So, do you still want to run off and do something else tonight, Tori-kins?"

"Not anymore, of course not. But what's the plan? I assume you guys do have some kind of plan, right?"

Haley nodded and explained, "Yep. Ben's coming by within the hour, and when everything's through here, the four of us will go out to dinner to celebrate."

"Cool! But while we wait for him, I think I'm going to start Riley's book. I can't believe I'm actually reading it myself!" And so she did just that, settling into one of provided chairs, while Haley wandered off to browse through a display of classic novels. Too bad she already had most of them. She was just about to move on to see if there was anything new in the Tolkien section, when suddenly she felt someone tap her on the shoulder and whirled around.

"Ben! Oh good, I'm glad you made it."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He returned her smile and gave her a quick hug. "It's good to see Riley branching off into other endeavors besides computer hacking and treasure hunting."

"Amen to that! But his book is still about supposed 'conspiracy theories,' so I'm not sure it's much of an improvement. If nothing else, at least it's a different outlet for everything going through his incredibly complex mind."

Ben laughed. "I suppose so. Now where's Tori? I already talked to Riley and congratulated him, but it looks like things will be winding down soon. We should find her and get ready to go."

"I think she's still over here reading." Haley lead the way, and sure enough, they found Tori in the same seat as before, already a considerable ways into Riley's book. In fact, she was so engrossed in her reading that she didn't even notice their approach until Ben waved a hand in front of her face.

"Hello, Bookworm."

"Hey, Ben!" Tori jumped up to greet him with a hug and then immediately launched into an exhortation of Riley's book. "Oh my gosh, this is so cool – and not just because Riley wrote it. It really is fascinating! Halo, you've gotta read this when I'm done!"

Haley nodded her compliance, but she didn't quite seem to share her friend's enthusiasm.

Tori went on, "There's just so much cool stuff in here! I'm lucky I know the author so I can talk about it more in person with him later. Ben, do you have your copy yet?"

"Yeah, Riley gave me one." Ben held up his own copy, still in the plastic shrink wrap. "I'm sure I'll jump into it as soon as I have the time."

"Right. So, how are things over at your dad's?" Haley asked.

"Oh, about as good as can be expected. It's a big change living with him again now, but I'm grateful he doesn't mind."

Tori hesitantly cleared her throat. She hated to bring this up now, but she just had to ask. "Yeah, I noticed Abigail wasn't here. Should one of us get a copy of the book for her?"

"Riley gave me one to bring her tomorrow," Haley informed them. "She already had plans made for tonight."

No one dared to further pursue that particular topic, for they all knew that Abigail's "plans" involved a young White House security officer named Connor.

Tori tried to change the subject. "Well, what about Agent Sadusky? I'm kind of surprised he isn't here." The head FBI agent had kept in close contact with all of them over the past two years, even stopping by to check in on Haley and Tori in their new home on a regular basis, just to make sure all was well. For some reason, Tori always seemed happier to see him than her friend.

"Sadusky must be busy tonight, too," Ben told her. "I'm sure he would have been here if he could."

"Hey, guys!" Riley walked up to join them, looking incredibly happy yet relieved. "That was a lot of fun, but I'm glad it's over. So, what's for dinner?"

* * *

Two hours later, the four friends sat with smiling faces and full stomachs around their table at a nice restaurant in downtown Washington DC. Riley and Tori were already locked in a discussion about his book, and Ben and Haley were content to simply sit back and watch them in great amusement.

But after a while, Riley's head visibly perked up when he heard a particularly upbeat song being played on the nearby dance floor. He suddenly leapt up from his seat with a smile and extended a hand to the young lady seated beside him.

"Come on, T, let's dance!"

Taken very much by surprise Tori balked. "Are you sure?"

"Sure, lots of people are. Now, come on!"

The brunette grinned, reached up to take his hand, and allowed him to lead her out onto the floor.

Haley chuckled from a distance as she watched her two friends enjoy themselves during the dance and turned to Ben.

"So, do you still think it's inconceivable?"

He shook his head and deigned to confess, "No, not anymore. There's definite potential between them, especially now that she's older. I guess it just took me a bit longer than you to realize it."

Haley smiled, took a long sip of her wine, and brought her attention back to the dance floor where a slow song had started to play. This would be interesting.

Out on the floor, Tori recognized the song at once as Phil Collins' "You'll be in my Heart." Granted, it was one of her favorites, but she would have never considered dancing to it. She hesitated, not sure if it was still appropriate for her and Riley to be out here, but apparently, he thought otherwise. He took hold of her right hand, slid his other arm around her waist, and began to dance. Aware of a strange warmth rising in her cheeks, Tori followed his lead. It wasn't that she minded or that she was at all uncomfortable – she just hadn't expected it.

They fell into a predictable rhythm as they continued to sway with the music, and Tori found herself battling the urge to lay her head on Riley's shoulder. They weren't dating, after all, so it truly would be a bit out of place. But she also found it strangely curious that her partner's hand was sweaty. They hadn't been dancing _that _hard…

"Hey, Tori?"

Riley's voice roused her from her silent musings, and Tori turned her face up to him. "Yeah?"

"There's, um…something I've been meaning to ask you, and well, I guess I just haven't had the chance." He trailed off for a moment, struggling to work moisture into his lips, and Tori looked up at him expectantly.

"Yes?" she prompted. "And?"

"And, what I wanted to say…or, what I've been meaning to ask you is – "

But Riley was cut off when all of a sudden the song ended, and the subdued mood between them was shattered by the opening strains of "The Hamster Dance."

Tori gasped, ecstatic. "Yes, I love this song! Come on, Riley!" She broke away from him and started into a dancing style more appropriate for the current song. The techie followed suit, but never again that night did he try to revive their previous conversation.

The dancing went on for just over another hour, and while Riley and Tori participated in every dance, Ben and Haley merely continued to watch. Though they had each other for company, a bystander would still have said they both looked uncommonly sad and lonely. The thought of dancing together never even occurred to them.

**Halo's A/N: **Okay, so maybe I'm not quite over Phil yet. I'm working on it, people, I promise! But weren't Tori and Riley cute? Hehe, this was a chapter I certainly had fun with. It does make you smile, don't it? And I love you, Tori – I really do!

**Tori's A/N**: Yeah, I love you too, lol. After all, I'm your adopted little sister! Come on, now… But this chapter did make me blush a little, I'll admit. And I'm making sure is that Haley's working on her thoughts of Phil, so her promise is legit. Oh, and the whole Mike thing at the beginning… that's a very long (and complicated) story. We won't go into it right now, but send me a message if you're really that intrigued. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: **The long-awaited sequel to **Tori's **and **Halo's **random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we're still just having fun. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I wish we could say differently this second time around, but even though we've now been a part of _National Treasure_, we still own nothing. Except ourselves, of course.

**Halo's A/N: **Hi, everyone! I'm so glad to hear you were all pleased with the start of our sequel here, and I must say Tori and I are quite pleased ourselves with how it's shaping up. Should be a fun ride, lol. And now special thanks to **Dimonah Tralon, Miss Fenway, Thuraya Known, daisyduke80, **and **TheBlueHour **for your wonderful reviews. You guys are the best! And now, for your literary enjoyment, here's Chapter Two.

**Chapter 2**

Around noon the following day, Tori left the school library after an academically productive morning with Mike and stopped by the National Archives Building to pick up Abigail for lunch. The blonde lady was already waiting outside when she pulled up.

"Hi, Abi! Sorry I'm a little late."

"It's all right," Dr. Abigail Chase assured her friend as she got into the car. "I'm in no hurry, and it's nice to be out in the sun after spending all morning inside. So how was your road trip with Haley? I understand you two just got back yesterday."

"Oh, it was nice," Tori replied, wondering how much she was really at liberty to say. "We just drove out toward Chicago, saw the sights, and came home. It was a nice break."

Abigail nodded. "Good. Haley didn't say much about it either when I saw her earlier this morning."

"Oh, that's right, she was going to drop off a copy of Riley's book for you. I'm already halfway through it, and it's really good! I had no idea he was such a good writer."

"Me, either. I suppose I'll have to flip through it once I get the chance."

Tori frowned at Abi's response as she turned into the Olive Garden parking lot. Ben had given her a similar answer last night, and by now she had remembered that neither he nor Abigail had read Riley's book at the time of the second movie. And now she could understand even more how hurtful it must have been for him.

A short time later when they were seated in the restaurant and waiting for their food, Abigail looked her friend squarely in the eye and said, "Tori, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure." Tori had no idea what this could be about, but Abi was one of her closest friends now, even after her distasteful breakup with Ben, and she would do anything she could to help. "What's up?"

Abigail sighed. "Have you noticed anything strange about Haley lately?"

The younger woman frowned. "I don't know. What do you mean by 'strange'? Do you mean stranger than normal?"

"Well, I suppose I mean 'subdued' or 'melancholy.' She just hasn't seemed like her usual cheerful self these past couple of months. And I have no idea what it could be about, but I was hoping you did. Because if it's something we've done or something we haven't done, then I want to know about it. She may have been with the wrong side two years ago back when we were searching for the Templar Treasure, but today she's my friend the same as you. So what's going on?"

Tori bit her lip. "I honestly don't know. But now that you mention it, I have been picking up some depression vibes from her lately, and I'm usually really good at reading people. But I will ask her about it soon, and I promise to let you know if I find out anything."

Abi smiled, truly grateful. "Thanks, Tori, I know you will."

* * *

A couple of nights later, Tori grabbed her beloved Aersomith bag as she was about to meet up with some of her friends from college, but she stopped short when she came to the door and saw Haley sitting curled up on the couch with a book.

"Hey, Halo, you want to come with us?" she offered. "We're going downtown, and it'll be a lot of fun."

But the older girl just shook her head. "No thanks. I appreciate the offer, but I'm fine staying here. You go ahead."

Tori sighed and planted her hands on her hips. Perhaps now would be a good time to bring up the topic of her past conversation with Abigail.

"Haley, what's the matter with you lately?"

Haley looked up from her book, eyebrows raised. "What do you mean?"

"I just mean that you've been so…depressed lately. It's not like you, Halo. Even Abi noticed! Just a few days ago she asked me if there was something wrong with you."

Haley just shrugged, apparently not offended in the least by her friend's remark. "I haven't noticed any difference. What does she think it is?"

"I don't know, but she's worried about you. I am, too."

Now it was Haley's turn to sigh. "Look, I appreciate the concern, I really do. But I don't know of any sudden change in behavior. What does she want me to say? That I'm heartbroken or lovesick or something like that? I would've thought she had enough of that romantic drama in her own love life."

Tori frowned, taken by surprise. This sort of bitterness truly was uncharacteristic of her old friend. "Haley, what's wrong with you? I can tell you're just trying to get this conversation over with, but right there, all you did was give yourself away. I know something's troubling you, Halo, now what is it?"

Haley glanced away and soon looked as though she was holding back tears. She hated to be on bad terms with her friends like this.

"I'm sorry, Tori," she sniffed. "Sorry I snapped at you and sorry I dragged Abi into this whole mess. I know she means well."

"Hey, it's all right. It happens to all of us." Tori sat down beside her on the couch and patted her knee. "Now what's going on? You can tell me."

Haley heaved a shuddering sigh as she pulled herself together, but she still didn't answer.

"Is it because of our road trip?" the other girl asked tentatively. "Realizing we really are stuck here for good? That would be understandable; I mean, I miss my mom and my friends, too."

"I do miss everyone," Haley admitted. "But that's not it."

"So there is something, then?" Tori felt like they'd just made a breakthrough. "Come on, Haley, whatever it is, you can tell me."

When only silence answered, she tried again. "_Is _it some sort of 'romantic drama' like you said?"

Haley still didn't reply, but Tori could tell by the freshening of her friend's tears that she'd hit a nerve.

"Is it something that happened recently? I wasn't aware you'd even met anyone."

"No, no," Haley assured her, wiping away a trail of tears. "It's definitely not recent."

The younger brunette frowned again, still perplexed, but the more she thought about her companion's evasive answers, the more one of her own started taking shape.

Hoping fervently that she was right, Tori took a deep breath and said, "Haley, there was never anything real serious between you and Phil, was there?"

And with that, she'd hit a home run. Haley choked out a sob as she finally let the emotions show through and desperately cried, "That's just it! There _wasn't _anything serious until the last few hours I was with them. And now here it's been two years, Tori, and I still miss him. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him. And I've tried to stop myself, honest, but I just can't. I know, it sounds really lame. I'm hopeless, aren't I? He probably hasn't even thought of me once since then."

Relieved that Haley had finally opened up to her, Tori replied, "Yeah, you probably are hopeless. But I wouldn't be so sure about Phil completely forgetting you, and I can tell you don't really believe it, either. You're just trying to make yourself feel better. I am sorry I was oblivious to all of this over the past two years, but I just figured that if anything were to develop during the first movie, it would have been between you and Ian."

"Yeah, that's what I had thought at first, too. He always was my favorite, as you know. He's just got the greatest accent! But it didn't take long to realize that he was just too old for me. Not to mention how incredibly driven he is – if you hadn't noticed. I swear, sometimes it was like I wasn't even there."

Tori laughed. "I hear ya! He completely ignored me when we were in front of Trinity Church. I actually felt the same way around Ben sometimes, too. But, Haley, Abi's known you for two years now, and it wasn't until recently that she noticed you were acting kind of depressed. Has it gotten worse lately?"

"Yeah, it has." Haley nodded. "I guess it's because at first I was still hopeful that Ian and the rest of them would break out of jail like they do in so many of those fanfics. Maybe since Shaw's still alive, Ian would feel more motivated to get out, I don't know. But now, like you said, it's been two years…and we still haven't heard anything about them. I suppose I'm just more down in the dumps lately because it's finally sinking in that they won't be coming back.

"I know I should probably just forget about him and move on, but it's hard. And lonely, too. I mean, you have Riley, and Abi at least had Ben. It's just rough being by yourself sometimes."

Tori gave her a quick one-armed hug around the shoulders. "I understand. But I also think you're right about it being time to move on. Can I tell Abi about this? I promised I would report back to her."

"Sure, go ahead. Just please don't tell Ben or Riley. I'm not sure I really want them to know because of…well, everything that happened between them and Ian."

"Don't worry about it," Tori assured her. "I certainly won't, and there's no danger of Abi telling them, either. She's been avoiding Ben like the plague lately."

* * *

Abigail sighed and tucked her golden hair back behind her ears as she finished listening to Tori's report.

"I had no idea," she murmured. "Haley and _Phil_? I just can't seem to imagine it even being possible. She's too nice for a guy like him! Tori, you should tell her she really does need to get over him and move on. Honestly, that girl could do so much better!"

"Yeah, but we didn't exactly know him that well, either," Tori tried to reason, more for Haley's sake than out of her own personal conviction.

"What's to know?" Abi countered. "All we ever heard from him, like the others, were threats and gunshots."

"I suppose…" Part of Tori wanted to agree with Abigail there, considering Phil _had _shot at her, but she just couldn't forget about the time Powell had given her a cough drop when she was hungry. "But Haley did get to spend more time with him – with all of them. Maybe she saw a side of him that the rest of us didn't?"

Abigail snorted softly to show what she thought of that particular idea. "I highly doubt it. That would have to be one _very _good side. You know, Tori, Ben spent a lot of time with Phil in the past, too. You could always ask him or Riley to tell you more about him."

"No!"

The older woman frowned at her friend's lightning-fast reply. "Why not?"

"Because Ben and Riley have no idea anything was going on between them, either," Tori explained. "And Haley's doesn't want them to learn about it now, which I can understand. She didn't mind that I told you, but let's just keep it between the three of us – please?"

"Oh, all right," Abi conceded with a sigh. "I suppose it doesn't really matter now, anyway. He's safely locked away in prison, so it's not like she'll be seeing him again anytime soon."

* * *

Throughout the next couple of weeks, things progressed normally in the general DC area. Tori never had quite been able to bring herself to relay Abigail's rather stern message to Haley, but she could tell that her friend was still wrestling with the inevitable struggle of letting go. And so she chose not to push the issue.

In fact, the single greatest tragedy in Tori's life now was the state of her good friend Riley Poole. Suffice to say, his book hadn't taken off quite the way he would have hoped, and for that reason, among others, he had grown more than a little depressed in the past few days. And feeling that it was her duty as a friend to cheer him up as best she could, Tori stopped by his apartment unexpectedly late one evening to see what might be done.

She rang the doorbell, and after a worryingly long pause, he answered, looking a little red-eyed from lack of sleep and altogether dejected. He was even abnormally subdued in his greeting.

"Oh – hey, T. Come on in."

She followed him inside the apartment and couldn't help noticing that the place looked more unkempt than usual. Even his laptop sat dusty and inactive on the kitchen counter. Riley must have really been in a slump about this whole book thing.

"So, Riley – how've you been?"

"Horrible. It's been a really crappy day." With that, the techie slouched down onto the couch, and Tori joined him, grateful that this conversation was off to a much easier beginning than the one she'd had not long ago with Haley.

"What's up?" she prompted. "Is it because of your book?"

"Yeah, that," Riley admitted. "And I lost my car to IRS today."

Tori gasped. "Oh no, not your baby? Riley, I'm so sorry!"

"It's all right. I know she was just as much your baby as she was mine. I will miss her, though; she was a beauty."

He fell silent then, and when he didn't continue right away, his companion urged, "Is that all?"

"Well, yes, but also…" Riley trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words, and he leaned forward to hide his face in his hands. "Tori, I'm sick of people getting me confused with Ben."

Tori raised her eyebrows, pretending this was all news to her. "Really? I had no idea it even happened that often."

"But it does, T, that's just it! It's like, whenever someone sees anything about the Templar Treasure, they automatically think of 'Benjamin Gates.' And no one ever remembers that Ben actually did have help on that hunt."

"Yes, he certainly did," Tori agreed. "And I would know – I was there! But I admit I personally don't feel any resentment toward Ben for getting all the credit and the publicity. I mean, Abi and I were just kind of along for the ride at that point."

"Exactly! But I worked with Ben for nearly two years to find that treasure, and he knows he could never have done it without me. We both know it."

Tori reached over then and rubbed a few quick circles over his back with the palm of her hand. It wasn't good for him to be all tense like this. She needed to cheer him up! Or at least make him smile.

She began, "Well, personally, I don't see how anyone could possibly get Ben confused with you. I mean, look at you, Riley! You're _much _more handsome than he is, for one thing. You at least look sophisticated in glasses; he would just look like a hopeless nerd." That got him smiling a little. "Secondly, you're the most brilliant person I know with a computer by far – and I've known quite a few, believe me. Honestly, if Ben tried to do some of the things you do, he'd end up looking like one of those chimpanzees hammering away at a keyboard."

Riley finally did laugh aloud at that, and Tori, encouraged by her success, continued to make similar humorous comparisons between him and Ben. And she was being a bit tough on poor Ben, perhaps; but he wasn't here, and there was no reason why he should ever hear about this conversation. Besides, it was all in the name of Riley's well being, and how could anyone possibly deny her that?

* * *

It was well after one in the morning when Tori finally got back home from Riley's. Thankfully, she had left him in a far better mood than when she'd found him, and now she was ready for a good night's rest herself. She parked her car in the garage, unlocked the front door, and slipped noiselessly inside. The house was dark and quiet; no doubt Haley had already been asleep for several hours.

Tori frowned and shook her head in frustration as she made her way up the stairs. She truly wished Haley would get out more and stay out late at night the way young people their age were supposed to. She would have to talk to her friend about that tomorrow. This melancholy phase of "getting over" Phil had gone on quite long enough, and Tori wanted her old cheerful friend back!

With that resolution in mind, the younger brunette got herself ready for bed and lay down, relishing the soft fluffiness of her favorite pillow. But no sooner had she started to doze off, than something rattled suddenly against her window. Tori's eyes shot open, and she sat up in bed, wondering if the sound had been nothing more than a figment of her weary writer's imagination. But then it happened again.

Tori got up, her heart suddenly racing, and walked cautiously over to her window. With a trembling hand, she pushed aside the curtain, peered outside – and saw the shadowy outline of a dark figure down in the yard below.

"Haley!" She bolted down the hallway into her friend's room, simply frantic, and shook the other girl awake. "Haley, wake up! There's some guy outside my window!"

Haley grew alert in an instant. She grabbed her glasses, clambered out of her beloved waterbed, and dashed after Tori back down the hall. They arrived at the other girl's room just in time to hear the windowpane rattle again.

"You forgot to mention he was throwing rocks at your window, too," Haley remarked worriedly. The two friends gathered anxiously around the window, one on each side, and looked out.

"You see him?" Tori whispered urgently. "I know I'm not going insane here."

Haley narrowed her eyes, leaning in closer to the cool glass of the window even as it rattled once more. Suddenly, she gasped and grabbed onto her friend's arm with surprising force. "Oh my gosh – Tori, it's _him_!"

**Halo's A/N: **Hmm, I wonder who it could be. Any guesses? Halo the Writer and Haley the Character are both dying to know, lol. See you all soon!

**Tori's A/N**: Okay, both Tori the writer and Tori the character are freaking out here. I mean, there's a strange man outside of my window, and he's throwing rocks after one in the morning. It's scary! While you guys are leaving your reviews, I'm going to go grab my cell phone and call 9-1-1… Lol, thanks for reading! See you guys soon!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary:** The long-awaited sequel to Tori's and Halo's random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we're still just having fun. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I wish we could say differently this second time around, but even though we've now been a part of _National Treasure_, we still own nothing. Except ourselves, of course.

**Halo's A/N: **Greetings, beloved readers! Well, you all seem to thinking that Phil is the strange guy throwing rocks at Tori's window, and I, for one, hope you're right. Or is that too selfish of me, lol? Our sincere thanks as always to those who reviewed for the last chapter: **daisyduke80, Thuraya Known, The Angelic Prophecy, Dimonah Tralon, **and **Miss Fenway**. But now I shall keep you no longer and release you to find out if your predictions come to pass. Enjoy!

**Chapter 3**

"Tori, it's _him_!" Haley was positively grinning from ear to ear, and Tori was sure her friend had finally lost it.

"Who?" she hissed, her panic rising. "That serial killer we saw on CNN the other night?"

"Almost – it's Phil!"

Now Tori knew she was dreaming. "What?! Haley, are you sure?"

The older girl's eyes had not yet left the shadowy form of their late-night visitor. "Yes, I'm positive! Look, see for yourself."

Suddenly remembering something very important that might help her, Tori put on her glasses after grabbing them off her nightstand and looked again.

"Oh my gosh, you're right," she breathed. Perhaps she wasn't dreaming or going crazy after all! But considering the present circumstances – was that necessarily a good thing?

Meanwhile, Haley had grasped her arm again. "Tori, what do I do?"

Tori turned back to her friend, who now looked like she was torn somewhere between ecstatic and completely frantic.

"Well," she began soothingly while trying to pry Haley's hand off her arm, "the first thing you need to do is go downstairs into the kitchen, grab a knife, and hide it in your sleeve…"

By now, poor Haley's eyes were as big as saucers, and she was staring at her friend with a look of abject horror on her face.

"I'm just kidding!" Tori quickly assured her. "It's all right, Halo, I didn't mean it. You don't think I'm really that mean, do you?"

"No." Haley drew a deep breath as the color gradually returned to her face. "But, Tori, what do I _do_?"

Tori bit her lip nervously. She hated being the one to give advice now – there was so much depending on it! If Phil was here, it meant that Ian and company had broken out of jail after all, and that they were all wanted men. She simply couldn't in all good conscience send her closest friend down into the company of a runaway criminal…but there was a joyful light in Haley's eyes right now that she hadn't seen in a long while. How could she, in all good conscience, tell her to do anything else?

Sighing, she glanced out the window one more time at the tall figure still waiting below and finally said, "I suppose you should go down there."

"Like _this_?" Haley looked down in anguish at her bare feet and pajamas, thinking also of her bed-tousled hair and utter lack of makeup.

"Well, you'll want to put on a coat first," Tori chastised her. "And some shoes. And you might want to brush your hair real quick, too."

Haley was already gone, dashing down the hallway toward the bathroom.

"But you don't have time for makeup!" the younger girl called after her. "He knows it's the middle of the night and you just woke up. Just get down there!"

Having managed to do something at least partly decent with her hair, Haley hurried down the stairs, slipped into some shoes, and grabbed a coat. Only later would she realize it was the same black leather jacket Ian had bought for her over two years ago.

Meanwhile, Tori maintained a watchful post from inside her bedroom window. Phil hadn't thrown any more rocks, thankfully, but he now seemed to be pacing around rather anxiously. Probably wondering if Haley would show, Tori reasoned. Yet it wasn't long before the girl herself appeared in her view, hurrying onto the scene as though she'd literally just run around from the far side of the house.

Tori looked on as her friend stopped a few feet short of Phil. The newly reunited couple began talking, and while Tori was dying to know what was being said, she wisely restrained herself from cracking open the window. Watching out to make sure Haley was okay was one thing, but deliberately listening in on what was no doubt a private conversation could have been considered nothing short of shameless eavesdropping.

After a few minutes, Haley and Phil finally met each other halfway in a long embrace before slowly walking hand-in-hand out of Tori's line of sight. She watched them go for as long as she was able, happy for her friend but still a tad uneasy; after all, they were no longer inside the safe predictability of a movie they'd each seen dozens of times, and these were potentially very dangerous waters.

But surely Phil wouldn't have escaped from prison, come all this way at his own risk, and thrown rocks at the wrong girl's window just to "kidnap" Haley again. There would have been a much more efficient way to do that. Tori would simply have to trust that Phil meant well, and that Haley knew what she was doing.

And so at length she crawled back into bed, restlessly tossing and turning for quite some time before she finally fell asleep. It was amazing how, even after being dead tired less than half an hour ago, she now felt wide awake. The last thought that danced fleetingly across her mind as she closed her eyes was a distant wondering if anything could ever make Riley desperate enough to throw rocks at her window, too.

* * *

Tori opened her eyes and squinted at the clock – 6:21. Normally, she was never up this early, but today, she knew it would be impossible for her to fall back to sleep. She grabbed her glasses, swung her legs over the side of the bed, and tip-toed rapidly down the hall.

"Haley?"

She poked her head into her friend's bedroom, but it was empty, the covers on the bed still askew from when Haley had been woken at unawares the night before. She wasn't back yet? Tori swallowed hard, battling rather poorly against the unhappy knot that was trying to tie itself in the pit of her stomach. This was _not _good.

The young brunette thundered down the stairs in a rush after scouring the second floor for any signs of her roommate. She would give the downstairs a quick go-over as well, but if she still couldn't find Haley or anything to designate where she might be, Tori would be calling the police. Haley had been happy to see Phil again, obviously, but she should have known to be back by now!

But all of Tori's fears were stilled the instant she came flying down into the living room – for there was Haley herself, slouched down on the couch and looking oh-so happy.

Positively beaming, she glanced up her friend's harried entrance and greeted her with a pleasant, "Good morning!"

"Good morning?" Tori echoed in disbelief. "Haley, I'm just glad you're home. I was worried sick about you!"

Haley just smiled sweetly and shrugged. "I see you still slept fine." She then leaned back against the couch sleepily with her eyes closed, but her repose was rudely interrupted when her companion abruptly threw a pillow at her head.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"_That _was because your _boyfriend _shot at me!" She threw another pillow. "Twice!"

Haley promptly threw one back. "That was…a long time ago!" It was a lame excuse, as she could by no means deny the facts of what had happened two years ago, but it was the best she had.

Just then, there came a sudden knock at the front door.

"Who could that be?" the older girl wondered with a frown. "It's still awful early."

"I don't know. Maybe Phil forgot to give you your good-bye kiss?" Tori ducked to evade the second pillow that came hurtling toward her head, and she and Haley both dashed for the door.

Tori got there first. "Agent Sadusky!"

Haley hung back, suddenly apprehensive, while Tori ushered their early visitor inside.

"Good morning, Tori. Haley." Chief FBI agent Peter Sadusky was stone-faced as he walked through the doorway, greeting them both with a serene nod.

Tori glanced nervously at Haley and offered their guest a brittle smile. "Good morning, Agent Sadusky. May I ask what brings you here at this hour? There's nothing wrong, I hope?"

But Sadusky sighed wearily in response and passed a hand over his tired eyes. He looked as though he hadn't gotten much sleep that night, either. "Actually, ladies, I'm afraid I have some disturbing news. Ian Howe and his associates escaped from prison last night."

"Oh no!" Tori gasped, her exclamation of surprise perhaps a bit over exaggerated, but poor Haley's face had drained of all color in a perfectly natural pallor.

"Yes, we are all deeply troubled that it could have happened," Sadusky continued grimly. "Our security measures should have been tighter. But first of all, I wanted to make sure that the two of you were all right, since you were both involved in the incidents of two years ago, which makes you possible targets."

"Oh, don't worry, there are no problems here," Tori quickly stammered to assure him. "We're both fine."

"Yes, thankfully, I can see that. But just as a precaution, we would still like to set up some additional security around your home."

"No!" both girls exclaimed at once.

And when Sadusky eyed them quizzically for their response, Tori went on hurriedly to explain, "I mean, thank you, Agent Sadusky, for offering. We appreciate it, really! It's just that I really do think we'll be fine. Besides, don't you guys have more important things to worry about than us? Like the President! What if somebody tries to kidnap him or something?"

"And what about Ben?" Haley added, having regained some of her color and her composure. "He and Riley are the ones you should really be concerned about. Trust me, Ian hated them a lot more than he did us. They need the extra security more than we do."

Sadusky regarded them skeptically for a moment, but at length, he slowly nodded. "Very well. If you're certain this is what you want, we can leave things as they are for now. But I need you both to promise me that if anything suspicious or even unusual happens around here, you'll let me know immediately."

Each of the girls made their promise in turn, and the FBI agent then glanced down at his watch with a satisfied nod.

"Good. And now, as a matter of fact, I am off to see Ben, Riley, and Dr. Chase to give them similar warnings."

And with that, he offered his farewells and left them.

Haley slowly let out the deep breath she'd been holding. "Well, there's a promise we've already broken."

"I know," Tori agreed solemnly. "I don't like lying to Sadusky. It'll be hard to earn his trust back if he ever finds out." She couldn't quite bring herself to add on the likelihood that he probably would, so she said instead, "Do you think he knows?"

The older girl shook her head. "No. I don't think anyone did, really. Except for maybe Powell."

"Powell?"

Haley nodded, smiling as she remembered. "He didn't say much about it, but I think he could tell something was going on."

"I'm not sure I would have expected that from him," Tori replied with an amused chuckle. "But just think about it, Halo – Phil breaks out of jail and the very first thing he does is come find you. How romantic, isn't it? Until he threw rocks at the wrong girl's window, of course. But see? I told you he wouldn't forget about you!"

Her companion grinned, now feeling very special indeed. "I suppose you're right. It _was _the very first thing he did."

Tori frowned. "You mean you didn't bother to ask him exactly how he got out of jail?"

"Uh, nope. Didn't even think of it."

"Halo!"

"I'm sorry!" Haley held up her hands in self-defense. "I'm sorry, I was just so happy to see him. You can't really blame me, can you?"

The other girl sighed. "No, I suppose not. But I _can _laugh at you!"

"And I'm sure you will," Haley remarked, laughing herself. "But I'll ask Phil about their escape tonight, if you like, and let you know what I find out."

Tori's eyebrows shot up, and she echoed, "Tonight? You mean he's coming again tonight?"

"Of course!" her friend replied, grinning broadly. "Otherwise I wouldn't be nearly as happy."

"Are you going to tell him about Sadusky's little visit this morning?"

Haley's answer came without hesitation. "Absolutely. In fact, I wish I knew how to get in touch with him right now – to warn him just in case Sadusky tries to 'protect' us without our knowing. But I have no idea where they're all hiding."

Tori bit her lip. "Haley, I'm not sure this is such a good idea. I know you like Phil, but he's an escaped convict now, on the run from the FBI. I just don't want you getting in trouble with the law for this."

"Me, either," the older girl readily concurred, "but I'll still take my chances. Please don't tell anyone, Tori. Okay?"

Her companion sighed. "All right. I suppose I can keep quiet as long as it doesn't get out of hand. So have fun, then. You know I trust you, Haley, but please be careful."

Haley just laughed at her concern. "Don't worry, nothing's going to happen. Nothing bad, anyway."

**Halo's A/N: **And of course the mysterious late-night visitor is Phil! Who else could it have been, lol? You guys didn't really think I was going to let myself be heartbroken and miserable this entire fic, did you? I tried to "get over him," and it just didn't work. But now I am a very happy Halo, and very much looking forward to the coming chapters now that Phil is officially back. Just don't do anything too mean to us, okay Tori?? See you all there!

**Tori's A/N**: Okay, okay, I won't be _too_ mean, lol! You just have to promise the same thing in return. And, yes, I am very happy indeed about Haley and Phil getting back together, but I'm wary also. I mean, we don't really know this movie as well as the first, so who knows what's going to happen? We sure don't, which can be very nerve-racking. So, wish us luck as we continue on, and I'll see you all next time!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary:** The long-awaited sequel to Tori's and Halo's random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we're still just having fun. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I wish we could say differently this second time around, but even though we've now been a part of _National Treasure_, we still own nothing. Except ourselves, of course.

**Halo's A/N: **Greetings, all! Well, the past week has sure been a wild one for us, and I would encourage all of you to please keep Tori's older brother in your thoughts and prayers, as he is currently in the hospital right now with heart problems. But on a normal note, we'd like to extend our heartfelt thanks, as always, to **TheBlueHour, Miss Fenway, Thuraya Known, daisyduke80, imanna **and **Dimonah Tralon **for each of your encouraging reviews! It means a lot to us, and it sure is nice to know that you guys are enjoying this as much as we are. So now here's Chapter Four!

**Tori's A/N**: Yes, thanks, everyone! This past week sure has been wild, and I would like to tell you all that my brother's getting out of the hospital today, but he still has to take like tons of medication, so your thoughts and prayers are still appreciated. Thank you! But after all the stress after the past couple of days, it's going to take me a while to get another update up for "Gentleman's Masquerade," I think, since I've been too stressed to even write. Yeah, it was that bad. But now, I think I'll be able to write some more since it appears that everything is going to be okay. So, please enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 4**

Phil did indeed come again the following night, but apparently, Haley had forgotten to tell him of the chaos and confusion surrounding his first visit. For once again, it was not Haley he woke up with the rocks he threw, but Tori, who this time had already been sleeping peacefully. And so she marched right into Haley's room, thwacking her with a pillow to wake her up.

"He's here," she reported groggily.

Immediately, Haley was wide awake, and she at once began changing into some clothes which she already had laid out for the occasion. "He is? Why didn't I hear anything?"

"Because he's outside _my _window," Tori growled. "Again."

The older girl grimaced. "Oh, sorry – I must've forgotten to mention that last night. But I'll tell him tonight, I promise. Sorry, Tori-kins!"

And with that, she flew down the stairs, leaving a very sleepy and disgruntled Tori in her wake. "Make him get it right!" the younger brunette shouted after her.

As happy as she was for her friend, Tori had _not _been expecting another unwelcome visitor at her window that night. Phil and Haley were both grown adults – so why couldn't they have at least worked out some kind of system between the two of them?

Lifting up a silent prayer that this wouldn't happen again tomorrow, the bleary-eyed nineteen-year-old climbed sluggishly back into bed and closed her eyes. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

"We're switching rooms tonight."

Haley looked up from her book. "Huh?"

"I said, 'We're switching rooms tonight,'" Tori repeated firmly. "I don't want to get woken up again like before."

"But I told him which room to go to next time. You should be fine." Haley set down her book before continuing the conversation, and Tori frowned when she saw that it wasn't Riley's recent publication. She had forced it on her friend nearly two weeks ago, and as far as she knew it was still collecting dust somewhere on Haley's nightstand.

"Are you sure you told him?" she pressed.

"Yes, positive. Or, at least I think so. I must've told him right when I first saw him. Maybe. You know, I actually can't remember for sure. But at least I think I told him…"

Tori rolled her eyes and suppressed a groan. "Great, Halo, that makes me feel so much better. Now we're definitely switching rooms tonight."

"You don't trust me?" Haley looked hurt, but Tori could tell she was being teased.

"Oh, I trust you, all right, Halo. I just don't trust that memory of yours now that your head's all up in the clouds."

"All right, fine," Haley conceded, laughing. "I'll sleep in your room tonight, and you can sleep in mine. And I'll be sure to set Phil straight once and for all when I see him tonight." She reached for her book again.

"Haley, have you read any of Riley's book yet?" Tori felt a bit like the Spanish Inquisition here, but she wanted to know. Besides, if Haley simply wasn't going to read it, she wanted it back for herself. She, for one, was ready to go through it again.

"No, not really," her friend admitted. "I kinda flipped through it just to see what it was about, but when I realized he was talking more about the actual theories and not his own experiences, I just lost interest. Sorry, Tori-kins."

The younger girl sighed, incredulous. "You mean to tell me that you'll read _Notes on the Federal Convention of 1787 _purely for pleasure, but you can't make it through a book written by someone you know?"

Haley shrugged. "Personally, I think he would've been better off writing an autobiography about how he and Ben found the treasure. It would have been more entertaining, _and _he could've talked about Ian and the gang."

Tori shook her head and turned to walk out of the room. "Halo, you're hopeless. Just remember about switching rooms if you go to bed before me."

* * *

It was weird sleeping in Tori's room. Well, perhaps not _that _weird; Haley just wanted her waterbed back. But eventually she fell asleep, only to be roused a few short hours later by a distant commotion. Yet it wasn't the sort of commotion she had expected to wake up to, meaning the sound of rocks rattling the window.

This commotion was coming from farther down the hall – a commotion which sounded very much like a window opening, Tori yelling, and a window shutting again. Perplexed, Haley sat up in bed with a frown, and the next thing she knew, Tori herself came storming in.

"Don't tell me," she guessed. "He's here."

Tori nodded.

"I guess I did tell him about the right window, huh?"

Another nod.

"Um, may I ask what the yelling was all about?"

"I told him to get it right next time – and then I threw a pillow at him."

Haley laughed. "Oh, Tori, I am sorry about that. And don't worry, I'll apologize to him for you."

"Apologize for what? I'm not sorry about a thing. _He _woke _me _up – again!"

"I know, I know," Haley soothed, getting out of bed. "But technically he did 'get it right' this time. We were the ones who messed it up."

Tori sighed, and her shoulders sagged. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Just get out of here and have a good time."

"Thanks, Tori," Haley said, giving her friend a brief yet heartfelt hug before hurrying back to her own room to change.

* * *

The next night, things were a bit different. Tori got home just shy of midnight after a long day of studying with Mike and then having dinner and playing cards with Ben, Patrick, and Riley. And as soon as she walked through the door, the first thing she saw was Haley getting ready to head out.

"What's going on?" Tori asked, rightfully confused. "Won't Phil be coming for you in an hour or so?"

Haley shook her head. "Nope. You won't have to worry about him waking you up anymore."

"Oh no, Halo, did I scare him away last night? I'm so sorry, I never meant for that to happen…" Tori was suddenly feeling terrible.

But Haley was quick to reassure her. "No, not at all, don't worry about that. He thought it was quite funny, actually. And by the way, I think that pillow you threw is ruined. I tried to dry it out and clean it, but…not much luck, I'm afraid."

"That's okay, thanks for trying. So what, no more rocks now?"

"No, after I told him about what Sadusky said, we decided it would be better for us to meet at some neutral place rather than for him to risk coming here night after night."

"Oh, okay. Well, have fun, then. And be careful!"

Haley laughed as she passed Tori on her way out the door. "You always say that!"

* * *

For the next two weeks, it was much the same. Haley would get a few hours of sleep between nine and midnight, then leave around one in the morning for her secret rendezvous with Phil. Without fail, she would get home before five o'clock and sleep some more until around ten. Tori soon grew accustomed to the new routine, as well.

One day, while the two of them were eating lunch together, Haley rubbed the back of neck and commented, "You know, I think I'm getting a sore neck from looking up at Phil all night. He's just too tall!"

Tori took another bite of her pasta. "So, what are you going to do?"

"Well, I've thought about it, and I can only come up with one possible solution: heels. So you know what this means, Tori-kins – shopping! The only hard part will be finding heels comfortable enough that I can walk in them for a long time, but oh well. I guess having good shoes is just a price I'll have to pay."

Her friend chuckled. "Anything for Phil, right?"

"Of course! And you have to come with me, chica-chee."

Tori's only response was a groan.

"Come on, Tori," Haley urged. "How can you live with me for two years and still not love to shop? If nothing else, I guess now you know what poor Hannah had to live with. In spite of all my best efforts, she was never too keen on shopping, either."

"Fine, I'll come along and put up with you as best as I can. Just remember that me plus heels always equals disaster." She suddenly glanced around quickly and lowered her voice. "But, Halo, did Phil ever tell you about how they broke out? You said you would report back to me if you found out anything."

"Oh, yeah, he did tell me about that!" The older girl took another sip of her tea, leaned in closer toward her friend, and commenced with her report.

"Apparently, Phil was just as depressed as I was – well, maybe a bit more so since he was in prison. But thankfully, all five of them were being held in the same place, and Ian noticed. He asked about it, but Phil wouldn't tell him anything. Finally, after Ian was frustrated enough, Powell spoke up and filled them in on everything that had been going on between me and Phil."

"Ah, so Powell was the observant one, after all?"

"Yeah – who would've thought? Well, after that, I understand Ian said something about how they had to 'reunite Phil with his fair lady,' and they broke out of jail about a week later."

"That fast?" Even Tori had to admit she was impressed, but Haley soon explained.

"I think Ian and Shaw already had a plan in the making and were just waiting for the right time to put it in action."

"That makes more sense." The younger brunette chuckled. "You know, for some reason, I get this really funny mental image of Ian saying, 'Break out the spoons, boys, and start tunneling!'"

* * *

About another week later, Tori received a rather urgent call from Abigail.

"Tori, we need to talk."

Tori herself was somewhat taken aback by the sudden request. "Uh, sure. What about?"

"Not over the phone," Abi replied, almost in a whisper. "I want to talk to you in person. Can you meet me for coffee after work today?"

Tori was still confused, but she complied. "Of course I can. I'll see you at around six thirty."

Several hours later, when six thirty finally rolled around, the younger woman was immensely relieved to see her friend walk through the door of one of the local coffee shops near the National Archives Building.

"Abi, over here!" she called, motioning her over and waiting until she had taken a seat before continuing. "So, what's up? On the phone earlier today, it sounded like something was really wrong."

"Well, that's what I'm waiting for you to tell me," Abigail replied tensely. "I'm worried because Haley stopped by yesterday to chat, and she was happy. _Too _happy."

Tori blinked. "Wait a minute, Abi. The last time we talked about Haley, it was about how depressed she was; and now you're concerned because she's _happy_? Shouldn't that be a reason for us _not_ to worry about her now?"

"Yes, it should – but only as long as this sudden happiness doesn't involve a certain former acquaintance. And I think we both know who I'm talking about. Now, Tori, I don't want you to lie to me, but please don't tell me that this has anything to do with Ian and the others breaking out of jail."

Her companion gulped nervously but remained silent.

"Tori?" Abigail pressed. "Come on, why don't you say something?"

Now wringing her hands in anxiety, an obviously flustered Tori replied, "Because you told me not to lie, but then you also told me not to say that it was because Phil escaped – so I can't say anything."

Dr. Chase's fair eyes hardened. "I knew it. Tori, is she hoping to see him? _Has _she seen him?"

The younger woman looked truly pained. "She said not to tell anyone…"

But Abigail's patience was wearing thin, and she finally lashed out, as was her wont. "Tori!"

"All right, all right." Tori couldn't help but note how incredible it was than an angry Abigail could always get just what she wanted. So she took a deep breath and spilled the beans. "Haley and Phil have been seeing each other literally every night since he broke out of prison."

"What?! Every night? And you haven't told anyone? Not Ben, not Sadusky, not anyone?"

"But nothing's happened," Tori protested. "She's fine, Abi – and she's so happy. Even you could notice the difference already, and I feel like I finally have my old best friend and adopted big sister back."

"I know, but we should still tell Agent Sadusky, or take some sort of drastic action to keep her from seeing him again." With that, Abigail got out her cell phone and flipped it open.

"Abigail, wait! Please don't do this!"

"It's for her own good, Tori. He's an escaped criminal."

"She knows that, Abi, we both do. But Phil honestly hasn't done anything yet to make us not trust him. And I've never seen Haley so happy. Please, Abi? Let's just leave them alone for now and watch events unfold. Then, if anything does go even remotely wrong, we'll get help right away. Okay?"

Abigail didn't look overtly consoled, but she did put her phone away with a sigh and resignedly ask, "How old is Phil, anyway?"

"Haley told me he's twenty-nine."

"And she's twenty-three," the blonde woman mused. "I suppose six years is a surmountable difference. After all, Ben is five years older than me."

Tori smiled at that – partly because Abi was on her side now, but also because there was a similar age gap of five or six years between herself and Riley. After all, she was nineteen now, and Abigail had just called it "a surmountable difference."

* * *

A few more days after her conversation with Abigail, Tori was sitting on the couch to work on her latest English essay on "Macbeth" when Haley suddenly entered the living room and plopped down next to her.

The younger girl grinned wickedly and casually remarked, "I heard it raining last night."

Haley feigned a glare in her friend's direction. "No, really? I hadn't noticed. Except, of course, for the fact that Phil and I were both soaked through to the bone by the end of the night. It's getting colder now, too, but thankfully, it didn't bother either of us. I'm sure you thought of me?"

Tori chuckled. "Oh, of course. I thought of you – all cold and wet and shivering, but still with the man of your dreams – while I was lying warm and snug under the covers."

"Well, isn't that nice for you, Tori-kins. You can stop rubbing it in anytime you like, though, okay?" Then, Haley abruptly switched topics. "But guess what I found out last night?"

Tori looked up from her book, eyebrows raised. "I have no idea. What did you learn?"

"You know how we both play the clarinet," her companion explained excitedly. "Well, Phil played sax back in school, so that practically makes us distant musical cousins!"

The younger girl threw her head back and laughed aloud. "That is cool! Are you going to make him take it up again?"

"Someday, maybe. I told him we should rent one and just let him play around with it – if and when he's not on the run from the law, that is."

"Yeah, that would be important. So, Halo, I've been wondering: what exactly do you guys do during all these late night visits?"

Haley shrugged noncommittally. "Talk, mostly."

"And…" Tori prompted with a grin.

"And…walk, and drive, and usually stop someplace to eat."

"Ah, so that's why you haven't been eating breakfast much lately. Do the two of you share an entrée?"

"No, not usually," the older girl replied. "He likes real spicy food and anything with white chocolate for dessert, so there's really not a whole lot we can split."

"I see. So, what _else _do you guys do?"

"Why do you keep asking that?" Haley snapped all of a sudden.

Tori grinned, saying, "I'm just curious. So? What else?"

Haley blushed furiously, fumbling for a way to change the subject. "So, what do you and Riley do when you stay later over at his place?"

Tori grew predictably defensive. "Hey, no fair, that's different! For the thousandth time, Riley's just a friend, and we _aren't _dating."

Her older friend smiled smugly. "Yet."

Now it was Tori's turn to blush; it would seem she and Haley still hadn't gotten off the vicious cycle of teasing and blushing. So she likewise tried to change the subject, only this time back to Phil. "Well, if nothing else, is it weird dating a guy who you know always has a gun on him?"

Haley frowned, her expression thoughtful. "You know, I honestly don't even think about it much, and when I do, it really isn't that weird. It's almost makes me feel kind of safe knowing that he has it. I'm sure you're right, though, and it's on him all the time. But what I actually find to be the weirdest part of this whole situation is that of all five of those guys, I ended up falling for the only one who doesn't have an accent. And you know how I love accents, Tori-kins."

"Yes, yes, I do. But I still say the weirdest thing of all, by far, has to be that you fell for one of the guys who 'kidnapped' you and dragged you all over the East coast. It's almost like a fairy tale, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it is." Haley smiled dreamily, but then her expression suddenly grew more somber. "The only problem, Tori, is that I have no idea how we're going to get to that fairy tale ending."

Tori watched her friend sadly, knowing that if Abigail were here, she would say it was the perfect time to lecture Haley about the utter hopelessness of her current situation with Phil. But Tori herself just didn't have the heart to do it.

So she said instead, "I don't know, either. I'm just kind of worried because, in most fairy tales, something really bad usually has to happen before you get that happy ending."

Haley didn't say anything in response to that, and even Tori herself wondered what could have possibly led her to draw such a grim conclusion.

**Halo's A/N: **Um, yeah, can you say "foreshadowing"? I daresay this is _not _looking too good right now. But then again, I suppose I really shouldn't be surprised. After all, nothing's ever quite that easy with us, is it, Tori-kins? Lol, see you all soon!

**Tori's A/N**: Yeah, I don't think that things are going to be too easy with us now, lol. But hey, you never know. This foreshadowing may not be too important (highly doubt that, but, whatever…). Thanks, guys! Talk to you soon!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary:** The long-awaited sequel to Tori's and Halo's random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we're still just having fun. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I wish we could say differently this second time around, but even though we've now been a part of _National Treasure_, we still own nothing. Except ourselves, of course.

**Halo's A/N: **Yep, as most of you mentioned, things are going awfully well so far. But we can't really let that continue for too long, now can we? So brace yourselves for Chapter Five here, as the plot truly starts to take off. Kudos to **Miss Fenway, Thuraya Known, **and **Dimonah Tralon **for reviewing the last chapter! You all are wonderful!

**Toei's A/N**: I just wanted to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers regarding my brother. He's doing great, well, as great as you can be after getting out of the hospital after a heart attack. So, I just wanted to express a warm-hearted thank you for your thoughts, as well as your reviews. The bad news is that I burnt my hand today at school, Halo! It hurts… But anyway, I'll stop complaining now and let you guys read this chapter. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 5**

"Hey, Sweetheart."

"Hi, Phil!" Haley quickened her pace when she saw Phil waiting for her at their appointed rendezvous and stood up on her tip-toes to share a kiss after they'd drawn close. It was still necessary, even with heels.

"Come on." He took her hand, leading her away with a gentle tug; and she followed willingly, as indeed she always did. His car was typically parked about two or three miles away, which still gave them ample time for a peaceful walk together.

And they went along that night the same as usual, relating to each other the day's events, until suddenly Phil stopped.

"What is it?" Haley asked, at once reminded of when Phil had halted their walk through the dark tunnel under Trinity Church two years ago, but this time, he immediately motioned for her to be quiet.

"Shhh…" Phil looked genuinely uneasy, and his grip on Haley's hand tightened as he used the other to slowly draw his gun out from underneath his jacket.

Haley waited, holding her breath; but just then, she felt his hand go limp. He seemed to stiffen a bit beside her, then collapsed awkwardly to the ground like a rag doll.

"Oh bad." Haley was down on her knees beside him in an instant, all the while torn between worry for Phil and fear of whatever danger lay still undetected in the nearby darkness.

"Phil? Phil, are you all right?" She shook him urgently by the shoulder but succeeded only making his head loll limply toward her. Haley's eyes widened, and she froze. For stuck there in the other side of his neck was a small, vicious-looking dart.

The tears were in her eyes before she even had time to blink. This couldn't be happening – not now! Not when things had finally started to truly turn around for the better.

"Phil…" she breathed, clutching onto his lifeless arm with trembling hands. "Phil, please don't be dead! Please…"

"Don't worry, he's not dead," a voice suddenly said, and Haley jerked her head up to see four men emerge from the shadows of the nearby trees.

"He's not dead," their leader reiterated as they drew closer, "but he has been shot with a very powerful tranquilizer, so he won't be waking up anytime soon."

Haley said nothing in reply. The voice had been familiar, but not until she clearly saw his face did she recognize Mitch Wilkinson. Crap. She had only seen _Book of Secrets _once, mainly because Sean Bean was no longer playing the "bad guy." In her mind, the whole story had just lacked a certain something without Ian and company.

Undaunted by her silence, Mitch went on, "I admit we weren't expecting to find anyone else here tonight. We just came for him." He nodded down briefly toward Phil's still form. "But since we can't have you running off to tell anyone, it seems we'll just have to bring you along, too. And who knows? You just might end up being useful to us after all."

Haley shivered, suddenly colder than the brisk night air of autumn allowed. Having only seen the second movie once, she didn't know much about Mitch's character – except, of course, that he wasn't nearly as cool or as competent a villain as Ian had been. And so she had no idea what to expect this time.

But there wasn't much more time to dwell on it when one of Mitch's henchmen grabbed her roughly by the arm and hauled her to her feet. Two others bent to pick up Phil, one of them swiftly slipping their captive's discarded weapon into his pocket.

Haley could have slapped herself. Duh! Phil's gun had been there right beside him the entire time! But, oh well. She probably wouldn't have known how to use it, anyway.

* * *

The next morning, Tori woke up earlier than usual. She tried to go back to sleep but found herself tossing and turning inexplicably, so she finally decided to just succumb to nature and get up. She put on a robe and ambled through the house downstairs to the kitchen where she began to make herself some tea. There was no sign of Haley.

Tori frowned. That was odd. Haley was always home before sun-up. But it was still early – perhaps she and Phil just got distracted and lost track of time? Tori had a difficult time believing that, but all the same, she decided to wait another half hour or so before she would allow herself to panic.

Unfortunately, even that next half hour was far from worry-free. Tori ate her breakfast in a rush, then hurried back upstairs to get dressed so that she would be ready to run out the door as soon as that half hour was over. Sure enough, the half hour came and went – and still no Haley.

Now Tori panicked. She grabbed her bag, her cell phone, and her car keys and dashed out into the garage. Normally, she was a very calm and responsible driver, but on this particular morning, she went tearing down the street as though she were playing a part in some action movie car chase.

In no time at all, she came to a screeching halt in front of Riley's apartment and ran up to his front door. When she rang the bell four times and no one answered, she finally lifted up the door mat to reveal the hidden house key Riley had told her about many months ago. She let herself inside, dropped her things on a chair, and proceeded to march straight into Riley's bedroom.

The techie himself lay still asleep under a tangled mass of sheets and blankets, with one foot and one arm dangling precariously off the side of the bed. By all appearances, he had slept straight through the doorbell, as well as her unsolicited entrance. But there was no way he would sleep through _this._

"Riley! Riley, wake up!" Tori yanked the covers off her friend so he would be exposed to the cool morning air and poked him in the ribs – right where she knew he was the most ticklish.

"Gah!" Riley's eyes shot open, and he stared up at his intruder with a blend of awe and wonder. "T, what the heck are you doing here? It's not even seven o'clock."

"That's right, and it's no time to be sleeping. Get up, Riley!" She all but pulled him forcefully out of bed, too frantic to even notice that he was clad only in a t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. Under any other circumstances, the mere sight would have been cause enough for her to turn beet red in embarrassment. But not this time. Once he was up, she began rummaging through his drawers until she had a complete outfit of clothes assembled. "Here, get dressed."

Still half-asleep, Riley yawned and numbly accepted the bundle of clothing that was thrust into his arms. "Tori, please, what's going on?"

"Haley's missing!" she yelled as she ran into the kitchen. "But there's no time to explain now. Just hurry up!"

A few minutes later, Riley was dressed, and Tori had a bagel and a cup of coffee ready to shove into his hands before pulling him with her out the door.

"Come on," she urged as they headed down toward her car. "We need to get Ben and Abi and make sure they haven't heard anything."

As they sped off down the road, Riley finished his bagel, and Tori got out her cell phone to call Abigail. Thankfully, the older woman was already awake, and when Tori told her that something was horribly wrong, she agreed to meet them at Ben and Patrick's house in fifteen minutes.

Not long after, Tori and Riley had reached their destination and were banging on the front door. Ben Gates opened the door to greet them, fully dressed and very much awake, but still with a mug of hot morning coffee in his hands. He smiled when he saw them, but the smile soon turned into a frown once he took a closer look at his friends.

"Tori, Riley – what's wrong?" He could tell they were worried, especially Tori, and their anxiety was contagious.

The fidgety brunette stepped inside with her companion when Ben moved aside to let them by, but when Riley slumped down tiredly into an armchair, she continued pacing.

Ben glanced at the techie for answers, and when he didn't find any from that source, he tried again. "Tori, you're a nervous wreck, now will you please tell me what's going on here?"

"No, not yet. We have to wait til Abi gets here."

Just then, there was a far gentler knock at the door, and Abigail Chase entered. She threw a dangerously dark glare at Ben before turning to steady her young friend by taking a hold of her by the shoulders. "All right, Tori, I'm here. Now, what happened? And where's Haley?"

"That's just it!" Tori shrieked as she found herself battling back tears and pulled away from Abi's grip.

Riley got to his feet then, evident worry etched across his face as he observed his good friend in such distress. "What do you mean?" he pressed. He slowly reached a hand toward her, unsure if he should actually touch her.

Tori finally stopped pacing and drew a deep, shuddering breath before taking a small, unsure step in Riley's direction. "Haley's missing!"

"What? What do you mean she's 'missing'?" Ben demanded.

"It means that I woke up this morning, and she wasn't there. She's always there, Ben!"

Abigail's eyes widened in apprehension, and though it was painful, Tori met her gaze. Clearly, they both shared the same fears.

But before the blonde woman could say anything, Ben's cell phone suddenly rang. He checked the number on the caller ID, frowned, and flipped it open.

"Hello? Who is this?" Ben didn't have a chance to say much else, as the conversation was apparently very one-sided, but as the seconds ticked by, his frown deepened. Tori and the others held their breath and strained their ears, but all they could make out from the other end of the line was a bunch of mumbling.

After a few moments, Ben sighed in agitation and said, "All right, fine. We'll be there." And then he hung up.

"Who was that?" Abigail questioned him at once. "What did they want?"

"I don't know who it was," he reported impatiently, "but they said it would 'greatly benefit' us to meet them at one of the old abandoned warehouses on the south side of town tonight at nine o'clock. And of course, they explicitly told us not to involve the authorities. I said we would be there, as you all heard."

Riley shifted nervously on his feet. "Do you think this has something to do with Haley?"

The treasure hunter nodded thoughtfully. "I'm not sure how, but I wouldn't be surprised."

"Did you recognize the voice?" Tori asked him, not at all comfortable with where this situation was headed.

"No, I didn't," he answered with a shake of his head. "Sounded like he had some sort of Southern accent."

"And it sounds to me like you've all in over your heads – again." Patrick Gates now stood in the doorway behind them, listening. It was impossible to know how long he had been there. "You should call the police."

"No, Dad, that's the one thing we _can't _do if we want this to end well." Ben turned back to the others. "We'll meet these guys tonight – find out who they are and what they want – then we'll decide what needs to be done from there. But for now, we'll just have to wait."

So they all agreed to spend the rest of the day at Patrick's house until the appointed time when they were to meet their mysterious caller, and even Tori, for all her extensive knowledge of the _National Treasure _movies, had no idea who it might be. It was most unnerving.

Abigail continued to avoid Ben throughout the remainder of the day, but she did take Tori aside once so that they were alone and whispered, "Tori, you know who it has to be."

"I know, I know," the younger lady hissed back. "I know who it probably is, but…I'm just really hoping it isn't."

"Well, who else could it be?"

"I don't know," Tori worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "Abi, do you think we should call Sadusky?"

"And tell him what?" her friend retorted. "That one of his escaped convicts has been stopping over at your house every night for the past three weeks, and you've just conveniently forgotten to mention it until now?"

Tori sighed, defeated. "Okay, maybe not. But actually, Abi, he hasn't been coming by the house anymore. After those first few nights, he and Haley decided to meet someplace else so that it wouldn't be as risky for him."

Abigail raised her eyebrows. "And do you know where they were meeting?"

Tori's face suddenly paled, and she felt horrible. "No, I don't. I'm so sorry, I just never bothered to find out. I didn't think it was that important."

"Well, it is now. Tori, how can we hope to track her down if we don't even know where to start?"

Tori sighed and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, wishing that she would wake up and this would all be just a bad dream. And this conversation with Abigail wasn't exactly improving things.

"I don't know, Abi. Listen, why don't we just wait til tonight when we meet these people at the warehouse – and Ben said he didn't recognize the voice, so I doubt it's Ian or any of his gang."

"Hmph. Unless Ian got help. We'll go along with this for now, Tori, but if we don't find the answers we're looking for tonight, I'm going to tell Ben and Riley everything."

* * *

Nine o'clock arrived, and right on time, Benjamin Gates and his three companions stepped inside the designated warehouse. Tori held her breath as they entered the dimly lit facility, half-expecting to see Haley tied up and gagged somewhere in the corner. But she saw no such thing. Instead, the first face she saw was one they all knew very well indeed.

"Ian," Ben growled, stepping forward. "I should have known."

"Gates? I hadn't expected this." Blonde Englishman Ian Howe looked genuinely surprised to see them, but the new arrivals were not fooled. For if anyone in this world knew how to pull a convincing bluff, it was Ian Howe. Behind him stood the ever-faithful Shaw, Powell, and Viktor – three of his associates with whom he had been arrested two years ago and only recently escaped from prison. No doubt all of them were armed.

Ben glanced nervously at the four men who awaited them, gulping with the realization that he and his friends were grossly outnumbered when it came to manpower. He would have to try to keep this confrontation purely verbal for as long as possible.

"All right, Ian," he went on, taking the offensive, "what's going on?"

But as soon as the famed treasure hunter's words were out of his mouth, he suddenly found himself face-to-face with an angry-looking Shaw who promptly grabbed him by the front of his shirt and threw him roughly against the wall. So much for keeping it "purely verbal."

"What's the idea here, Gates?"

For a long moment, Ben could only stare at his former colleague in utter confusion. Why in the world would Shaw be asking _him _that when he himself had no idea what was going on? But one thing he did know: if there was to be a physical struggle between himself and Shaw, he himself didn't stand a chance.

And so it was quite a surprise for all of them when Tori suddenly stepped up behind Shaw and shoved him away from Ben with all her might, exclaiming, "Leave him alone!"

His balance thrown off a bit by her efforts, the bald Brit took a few steps back away from Ben, staring at Tori all the while. At first, he simply appeared shocked, but before long, his eyes smoldered with anger, and Ian had to step forward to hold him back with a strong hand on his friend's forearm.

When Tori realized what she'd done, how she'd almost invoked the Wrath of Shaw, she began to tremble involuntarily, and Riley had to put his arms around her and pull her close to keep her from freaking out even more. Only later would she realize much to her pleasant surprise that Ian had restrained Shaw from coming after her, but not from going after Ben.

Meanwhile, the lead treasure hunter took a deep breath to steady his pounding heart and decided to pick up again where he'd left off. "Ian, where's Haley?"

"Haley?" Ian frowned, and there might have even been a touch of concern in his British tone. "What do you mean?"

"She's missing," Ben explained with mounting frustration. "We couldn't find her this morning, and then I got a strange phone call telling us to come here at nine o'clock. So here we are – where is she?"

The Englishman only shrugged. "I don't know where she is, Ben."

"Of course, you know where she is, Ian!" Abigail spat bitterly. "Or perhaps I should say _one _of you knows where she is."

Tori jumped back into the conversation then, having mustered her courage once more. "Yeah! You know, I wanted to think better of Phil, I really did. And I tried, but seeing that you're all here right now, I suppose that makes me a fool for ever trusting him!"

"Phil?" Riley spoke up from behind her. "What does Phil have to do with any of this?"

"You don't know?" Powell looked genuinely amused as he voiced the question, but at this point, both Ben and Riley were looking hopelessly confused.

"Know what?" the treasure hunter demanded.

Ian chuckled, but there was little humor in the sound. "It's all right, Ben. We didn't know either until Powell told us. I guess we were all too focused on finding the treasure to even notice."

"Notice what?" Ben was plainly exasperated by all these roundabout answers.

"That there was a bit of a romance developing over the course of that hunt – and I don't mean between Dr. Chase and yourself."

That statement sank in, and Riley looked shocked. Maybe even appalled. "Whoa, wait a minute! Haley and…_Phil_? That can't be right, it's impossible!"

"No, Riley, it's true," Tori explained softly, and Abigail nodded a confirmation of her own before her friend continued. "They've been seeing each other literally every night since he broke out of prison. But she's always been home when I woke up in the morning, and today she wasn't, which is why I freaked out and came to get all of you."

Ben's expression was a mixture of anger and disbelief. "So this is all Phil's doing, then?"

"No, I really don't think so, Ben," a very British voice replied.

"Why not?"

Ian sighed heavily, running a hand through his blonde hair. "Because Phil is missing, too."

**Halo's A/N: **See, you all knew things couldn't stay so happy for too long, lol. We just had to go ahead and ruin it, which, considering some of the other things Tori and I have written, shouldn't really come as a surprise. Until next time!

**Tori's A/N**: Yeah, not too happy anymore, lol. But, you know that we had to ruin it sometime. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise. But for those of you who wanted more Riley and I, there you have it! But, there's more to come, I'm sure. Thanks for reading! See you guys next time!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary:** The long-awaited sequel to Tori's and Halo's random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we're still just having fun. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I wish we could say differently this second time around, but even though we've now been a part of _National Treasure_, we still own nothing. Except ourselves, of course.

**Halo's A/N: **Friends, I do apologize for the delay in this update, but I would be lying to you if I promised to do better next time. I'm afraid things have just slowed down here quite a bit lately, and writing really isn't at the top of the priority list. Alas, life – you all know how it goes. But nonetheless, our sincerest thanks to **Morhpine Scissorkicker, Miss Fenway, Dimonah Tralon, imanna, Thuraya Known, daisyduke80, **and **TheBlueHour **for their fantastic reviews! We enjoy reading them, and they really are a great encouragement! So now here's Chapter Six!

**Chapter 6**

Tori couldn't believe her ears. "What?"

"Phil didn't come back this morning, either," Ian explained, "and he knows he needs to be back in hiding before sunrise. At first, we thought he and Haley might have eloped and run off together, or something equally ridiculous."

"In which case, I would've had to track that kid down and teach him a lesson he wouldn't soon forget," Shaw added darkly.

"But then we got a phone call," his leader went on, "very much like the one you received, telling us to be here at nine o'clock tonight. We came, and who should be here to meet us but our old friend – Benjamin Gates. So, Ben, I'm going to keep things simple and only ask this once: where is Phil?"

Ben balked, stunned by the sudden shift in their conversation. He finally found his voice. "Ian, I have no idea where he is. You don't really believe _we _kidnapped Phil, do you?"

The Englishman shrugged with deceptive nonchalance. "It seems a logical conclusion, considering _you're _the ones who met us here. And you could have easily gotten your friends at the FBI to help you."

"Then what about Haley?" Tori demanded, still incredulous.

"Oh, I don't know. Perhaps her 'disappearance' is all a part of this elaborate rouse – pretending _she _was the one kidnapped and then trying to lay the blame on _us_."

Ben argued earnestly, "Ian, how many times do I have to remind you that I can't bluff to save my life?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. It worked very well last time, and I ended up in jail because I underestimated you. Don't be foolish enough to think I make the same mistakes twice, Gates."

"Ian, please, we have to get her back," Riley pleaded. "And I promise, we have no idea where she is – where either of them are."

"Neither do we."

"But you all seem to know who she is. Excellent."

Tori whirled around as a new voice entered the conversation and gasped. It was Mitch Wilkinson. Now that he had made his presence know, the villain from _Book of Secrets _strolled farther into the dim light of the warehouse, with three of his own henchmen following after.

He went on, "We had only planned on finding Mr. Howe's associate last night, but it turns out his young lady friend will be equally helpful after all."

"Where are they?!" Ben demanded, turning on their new arrival.

But Mitch only smiled, wholly unperturbed. "All in good time."

"You're the one who called us here," Ian concluded, his gaze darkening dangerously. "Who are you?"

"My name is Mitch Wilkinson, and you are all here to help me – as well as your friends."

Ben took a few determined steps closer. "What do you want?"

Mitch chuckled in response and held up a small laminated piece of yellowed paper. "Mr. Gates, I have here the missing corner of the diary of John Wilkes Booth, with which I can prove that your ancestor, Thomas Gates, was involved in plotting the assassination of Abraham Lincoln."

"What?!" Ben was livid – no one messed with his family name like that without getting into some sort of fight. "I want proof!"

"I'm holding the 'proof' in my hands, Mr. Gates. What _you _need to do now is prove Thomas Gates' innocence – before I take this story public and tarnish your family's fine reputation beyond repair."

The treasure hunter swallowed hard, his eyes smoldering. "This is blackmail."

Mitch Wilkinson smiled. "Yes, it is. Not to mention the fact that your two friends will be very…disappointed if you do not cooperate. Or if you fail."

Ian's hands clenched into tense fists at his sides, and he stepped forward. "What do we need to do?"

"You must prove that all along Thomas Gates was trying to prevent the Confederacy from finding a great treasure that they could have used to extend the Civil War – namely, Cibola."

"The lost city of gold," Abigail murmured with a thoughtful frown.

"And how exactly are we supposed to prove this?" Ben questioned impatiently.

Mitch's smile widened. "By finding it, of course."

Riley's jaw dropped. "Finding…the City of Gold?"

"You heard correctly. You'll work together, since we already know what a competent team you all make; and as you might imagine, there will be no involvement of the authorities in any way, shape, or form. Do I make myself clear?"

"Inescapably," Ian retorted smoothly. "But what do you stand to gain from all of this, Wilkinson?"

"The treasure, naturally – along with the credit for finding it. And meanwhile, the Gates' family reputation remains untarnished, and your friends will be returned to you."

"Alive and well?" Shaw asked darkly.

"One can only hope."

The Englishman snarled and moved to step around of his leader. "If you hurt them, I swear…"

"I cannot vouch for what sort of state they will be in," Mitch informed him. "Their treatment will depend entirely on your cooperation and on their own behavior."

Shaw stopped, Ian's hand once again a firm restraint on his arm, and Tori gulped. Knowing Haley, she would probably cooperate easily enough, but there was no telling when it came to Phil. She glanced over at Shaw, and there was still such a menacing glint in his eye that it actually sent shivers down her spine. And to think she was going to be working with him now, all in the name of saving her best friend. She could only hope she would survive.

As for Mitch, she was worryingly uncertain. Even after watching _Book of Secrets _so many times, Tori still did not feel as though she understood his character as well as she had Ian's in the first film. Mitch Wilkinson remained an unsolved mystery to her, and people she did not understand were people she feared. This was going to be an entirely different story than their first in-movie adventure.

"I have the first clue here for you," their latest adversary concluded, dropping a new slip of paper at his feet. "It was taken from the back of the journal page. It should get you started well enough, but after that, you'll be on your own. Benjamin Gates, you know what's at stake – your family's reputation and the lives of two people you all care for. Happy hunting."

* * *

As she took in her new surroundings, Haley couldn't help feeling a bit like Harry Potter, living in a "cupboard under the stairs." Okay, so maybe the room wasn't quite that tiny, but it was still an incredibly small space with room enough for only one single-sized bed and one hard, uncomfortable chair where she now sat.

Phil, by default, had first claim to the bed, considering he was still unconscious. And Haley was tired, too, so she decided to try sleeping like Elwood Blues by slouching down in the chair and putting her feet up on the edge of the bed. Suffice to say, it wasn't all that comfortable. If only she had some music, like the Blues Brothers did in that scene of the movie…

She squirmed around a bit in her seat and sighed. This was going to be one long night. Or was it daytime now? She had no idea.

* * *

Together with Ben's logic, Abigail's historical knowledge, and Ian's sheer cunning, it did not take long for the others to discern that the initial clue Mitch had given them was leading them to the Statue of Liberty in France. Riley found the whole idea to be absurdly un-American, but Ben assured him it was entirely historically accurate.

Soon after, with a few phone calls and a little help from some fake ID's for Ian and company, they were all on board a transatlantic flight to Paris. Riley had been adamant about getting a window seat so that he wouldn't be motion-sick, and Tori had ended up seated in between him and Powell. Ben and Abigail sat in front of them, and Shaw, Ian, and Viktor were in the aisle across from them. It was odd traveling with the people she'd been running from in the first movie, even though Tori knew that deep down they weren't all that bad.

Nevertheless, the silence hanging over all of them was still awkward, to say the least, so she turned to Powell on her left and casually remarked, "It's nice being out of jail, isn't it?"

He regarded her with one eyebrow raised in surprise before replying, "Yes, it is. And I'm sure you know from personal experience, don't you?"

Sensing that she was being teased, Tori at once defended her position. "Hey, I really was in jail! And getting out was the best day of my life!" Was it just her, or did she actually sound proud of herself for that fact?

"Tori, that was for one night," Ben said, turning around to face her, "and you were with me the entire time."

"So?" she retorted hotly. "It was still a really crappy night, and I was glad to be out!"

Powell chuckled. "Well, in that case, I think you'd better thank Shaw and I for rescuing you two, otherwise you'd probably still be there today."

"Oh, I'm grateful, believe me," Tori assured him with heartfelt gratitude. She had glanced over at Shaw when she was speaking, but he was looking straight ahead and didn't appear to have even heard her. So she turned her attention back to Powell. "I'm also thankful for that cough drop you gave me. I'm not sure I would've lasted until Riley's cookie without it."

He laughed aloud at that, and the two of them continued to talk for quite some time about many a random subject. As they conversed, Tori didn't even look back over at Riley long enough to note the look of flustered disapproval on the techie's face.

* * *

Haley woke up several hours later with a stiff neck and an incredibly sore back. She wasn't sure how long she would be able to keep this up without developing some long-term health problems. That was, of course, considering she even lived long enough to develop long-term health problems.

As of yet, she had neither seen nor heard anything of their captors, which was just fine with her, but surely it would only be a matter of time before they popped back around for a visit. Phil still looked utterly dead to the world, but Haley figured she would try waking him up just in case.

"Hey, Phil?" She leaned forward and gently shook him by the shoulder. "Phil?"

But there was no response, and Haley could only sit back with a sigh. That must really have been one "powerful tranquilizer." She should probably give Phil at least another twelve hours or so to wake up on his own before she started to truly worry.

So the only urgent question remaining was what on earth would she do in the meantime to keep herself occupied?

* * *

France was lovely! Tori only wished she could have enjoyed it more, for as it was, her thoughts were currently a bit preoccupied with the well-being of her friend. She stood beside Riley on an observation bridge near the French Statue of Liberty, watching and pretending to point and laugh as he guided his model helicopter around the monument.

It had actually been Shaw's idea that she accompany Riley in order to make things look less suspicious. Apparently, he and Haley had pulled a similar stunt back when they'd gone to meet Ben and Tori on the flight deck of the _Intrepid._ Ben himself was a ways behind them, chatting with some of the local guards in hopes of distracting them and buying some time for Riley.

The techie's toy helicopter, complete with a state-of-the-art reconnaissance camera to record footage of the structure's detailed exterior, soon came floating back over to them, and Riley immediately removed the tape and slipped it into his pocket. Tori kept one eye on Ben and the security guards while her partner in crime worked, and she felt him give a quick tug on her sleeve once he was ready to go.

She took his hand as they moved along, remembering Shaw's instructions that they were to pose as a "couple" to allay suspicion. It had taken her a moment to muster up her courage for the act, but when she saw that he didn't blanch or shy away in the least, she suddenly felt very comfortable in the situation. It just felt natural, somehow.

They still broke away, though, as they neared the others who had all been standing some distance away. Ian, Viktor, Powell, and Shaw had been keeping vigil around the perimeter while Riley worked, and when he had finished, they'd come back to rejoin their companions. As they waited for Ben to bid his farewells to the security guards, a small toddler on a red tricycle suddenly came rolling up to their feet.

The blonde child stopped when he was directly in front of them and stared quizzically up at the strangers with big blue eyes. Then, without warning, he pointed right up at Ian and said, "Mama?"

Riley at once had to bite back his laughter, but it didn't do much good. He glanced over at Tori and repeated, "Mama Ian?"

That did it. Almost as if there had been some kind of prearranged signal, all of them, Ian's own henchmen included, burst out into hysterical, side-splitting laughter. The offended Englishman in question glared daggers into them, but it had little effect. Even his closest comrades had turned against him now as they enjoyed a hearty laugh at his expense.

The little boy soon pedaled on, called away by his real mother, but by the way Riley kept muttering "Mama Ian" over and over to himself, there seemed little chance that any of them would forget this most amusing incident.

Disgusted, Ian rolled his eyes and marched over to talk to Ben, who appeared to have maintained his composure the best of any of them. Tori had to wipe tears from her eyes, and her sides ached from laughing so hard, but it was unfortunately easy to sober back up again. There was still a lot of important work to be done, and she had a pretty good idea of where they were headed next – a place where "these two twins stand resolute."

* * *

Overall, Haley supposed she couldn't complain. Apart from being indescribably bored and having no remotely comfortable way to sleep, things could have been much worse. Their captors gave them food and other essentials but otherwise left them alone, a fact for which Haley was extremely grateful.

But she was so sick of seeing these same four walls! She imagined this was what solitary confinement as a punishment must be like, except hers wasn't exactly "solitary." It just _seemed_ that way because Phil still hadn't moved one bloody muscle since they'd gotten here! And therein lay her chief concern.

Phil still hadn't woken up yet, and to say she was worried would have been a gross understatement. And while she hated to cause any trouble in such a situation, she also knew that she would have to say something very soon. So the next time one of Mitch's cohorts came by to give them some food, Haley stopped him.

"Please," she begged, "he hasn't woken up yet, and I don't know what to do – or even if there's anything I can do."

"No, there isn't," he replied gruffly through a small grated opening near the top of the door. "But that was a strong tranquilizer. It was supposed to last two or three days."

"But it's already been at least three days, and he hasn't even moved!" Haley protested bravely. "This can't be right. Please, can't you help him?"

The man sighed. "No, I can't. I'm sorry." And then he walked away.

"Wait!" Haley leapt up and darted the short distance over to the door, standing on her tip-toes so she could see out. "Wait, you can't do this! Please!"

But her cries made no impact, and it was with a heavy heart that she slumped dejectedly back into her chair by Phil's bedside. She stared down at him, feeling hot tears well in her eyes and trail down her cheeks as she wondered how things could have possibly gone so wrong so quickly. Phil looked utterly lifeless as he lay there. Was he even breathing?

Suddenly in a panic, Haley jumped up from her seat, knelt, and leaned over Phil's torso with her ear to his chest. There was a definite heartbeat there and faint, though very steady, breathing. She sighed shakily in relief. How much longer could she take this? She hated seeing him like this day after day and felt like she would probably go crazy if something didn't happen soon. The tears fell even harder then, and she let her head droop to rest lightly on his chest. _Please wake up…_

"Shhh."

Haley froze, her heart pounding and her eyes wide. Were her ears playing tricks on her? But then it happened again.

"Shhh."

She slowly turned her head so she could see Phil's face, but she didn't say make a sound. He still looked like he was sound asleep, but apparently, Haley's ears had not been fooling her at all.

"It's all right. I'm awake, and I'm getting stronger." Phil's lips barely moved, and the words were whispered so softly that Haley could scarcely hear him. "But you have to pretend like I'm still asleep. Sooner or later, they'll have to come in and check on me. We'll make a break for it then."

Haley nodded, still silent, but her heart was racing with sudden adrenaline and sheer excitement. Phil was fine, _and _there was hope for an escape! But she couldn't let it show now. Now, she had to pretend like absolutely nothing had changed. She leaned over to kiss his forehead as though he were still asleep, and returned to her chair with a secret smile.

**Halo's A/N: **Yay, there is hope! Me the character was really starting to get worried there, lol. Catch you later!

**Tori's A/N**: Aw, yay! Hope for Haley! No matter what you say, though, me the character is still very worried about you two! But I was so glad that I was there for the whole "Mama Ian" incident! That was great! And will I survive working with Shaw? I honestly have no idea! So, it should be interesting to find out. Well, thanks for reading! See ya next time!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary:** The long-awaited sequel to Tori's and Halo's random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we're still just having fun. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I wish we could say differently this second time around, but even though we've now been a part of _National Treasure_, we still own nothing. Except ourselves, of course.

**Halo's A/N: **Hey, everyone, and I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Tori and I are fully aware of the extreme delay in getting this update posted, but between lack of writing time and other things, I'm afraid this fun fic just didn't get a top priority. But I still have all my notes for our layout of the entire story, so all hope is not lost. And hopefully some time off here around Christmas will give me some extra time to devote to Phil and Riley, lol. All I can say, is thanks a million for sticking with us!

**Chapter 7**

"In all my years of operating under questionable legality, I never would have dreamt of doing something like this."

"Come on, Ian – it's for a good cause."

"Well, Tori, perhaps you don't understand the gravity of the situation. The Queen of England may be little more than a figurehead in today's political environment, but still, breaking into her study would be the equivalent of breaking into your President's Oval Office."

As she sat in the "borrowed" English taxi with Powell and Ian outside Buckingham Palace, Tori bit her lip to hold back the sharp retort she felt already forming on her tongue. The circumstances may have been dramatically different from the movie this time around, but surely the clues were still the same, and it would never do for her to reveal that she knew their very next destination would be none other than the Oval Office itself – the home of the other Resolute Desk. She would let them all be duly surprised by that in good time.

They had flown in from France the night before after laying out their plans to break into the Queen's study, and it had been a notably silent, uneventful passage. Riley had gone to rather great lengths to make sure Tori was seated as far away as possible from Ian and his cohorts, much to Tori's own amusement.

She had ended up sitting between him and Ben, the latter of whom seemed uncharacteristically tense. Like her, he was no doubt anxious over Haley, but Tori guessed he was just as worried about the other hostage, too. Phil may have shot at them the last time they'd seen him, but he had also worked side by side with Ben for over two years, and clearly, the treasure hunter had not forgotten some of those more pleasant memories.

But right now, Ben was inside the palace, most likely in the heat of his staged argument with Abigail. Although, sadly, some of the issues and emotions in discussion weren't entirely staged…

Riley and Shaw had both gone in ahead of them – the former to operate the technical side of things from his hideout in the lavatory, and the latter to pose as one of the palace guards who would escort a bickering Ben and Abigail to their prearranged security holding in the back. Riley would then let them out after hacking into the computer network, and the pair would be on their way to the most restricted sections of the palace.

Viktor was in another car on the far side of the royal abode, keeping watch over the perimeter in junction with Powell and Tori, just in case Mitch or any of his cronies decided to interfere. So far, though, they had seen nothing of their adversary since that first night in the warehouse, and Tori highly doubted they would show up now. She wouldn't have been surprised if he was keeping an eye on them, though…

At that moment, Ian's cell phone beeped at him, and Tori jumped at the sudden sound, but he simply turned it off and slipped it back into his pocket without even answering. There was no harm done.

"That's Riley's signal," he informed them, even though they were all well aware of the plan. "He'll be turning on the sprinkler system pretty soon, so I need to get in there."

The other two nodded and bid him good luck as he left the car and walked briskly toward the building, for it was Ian's job to pose as another palace security guard who, along with Shaw, would help buy Ben and Abi some time by ushering people out of the building once Riley activated the sprinklers and fire alarm. So far, the plan seemed to be moving along quite well.

Antsy with boredom, Tori scooted up into the passenger's seat next to Powell and heaved a disgruntled sigh.

"Don't you hate that we're being left behind, and we can't do anything?"

Powell shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. I think it's kind of nice being able to sit one out every now and then. And by the way, sorry I shot at you last time. I was aiming for Gates, I swear!"

Tori laughed, pleasantly surprised by the abrupt change in topic. "Don't worry about that, Powell, I believe you. At least _you _apologized for it."

Her companion nodded but fell strangely silent after that, and Tori could have kicked herself. How could she possibly have forgotten, even if only for a moment, exactly who the _other _person shooting at them had been?

She muttered a subdued apology, but Powell replied, "It's all right. There isn't much more we can do now apart from what we're already doing."

"I'm sure Phil would have apologized, too, if he'd had the chance."

"You mean you never talked with him?" Powell sounded genuinely curious.

"I never had the chance. The closest I ever got was yelling at him outside my bedroom window."

The Scotsman's eyebrows shot skyward. "_Your _window?"

"You mean he didn't tell you?" Tori grinned, eager to tell the story. "Those first two nights, he went to the wrong window and ended up waking _me _up instead of Haley. Then I made her switch rooms with me so I wouldn't get woken up again, but Phil actually got it right that time, and he _still _woke me up!"

Powell got a good laugh out of that but soon grew somber again. "You were right to think better of him, you know," he told Tori quietly. "He never meant for any harm to come to her in all of this."

Tori nodded, swallowing hard around a stubborn lump in her throat and blinking back sudden tears. "I know."

Powell didn't say anything more, and when Tori looked back over at him, a despondent cloud seemed to have settled over his countenance. She felt truly sorry for him. She was so caught up in her own worry for Haley, and rightfully so, that she'd temporarily forgotten just how vitally important Phil was to the men with whom she now found herself allied. No doubt he was just as valuable to them as Haley was to her, and the immense responsibility of their current task weighed heavily upon each of them. Ian most of all, she thought.

But the silence in the car had grown uncomfortable, and she sought to change the subject, sighing, "Shaw doesn't like me very much, does he?"

Powell turned his attention back to her and frowned. "Why do you say that?"

"Because of when I snapped at him back in the warehouse. He's been kind of avoiding me since then." The concern was valid enough. It had been on her mind ever since she'd blown up at him that night, and she couldn't help feeling kind of guilty now.

But much to her surprise, Powell only laughed. "Are you kidding? That was bloody brilliant!"

"What?" Tori was hopelessly confused now.

The man next to her caught his breath, then continued, "Kiddo, I haven't seen anyone stand up to Shaw like that in years, and the last person who tried wound up getting his face smashed in."

Tori's eyes widened in horror, and she suddenly felt sick. How was it even possible she was still alive right now?

Powell went on, "He and Haley gave each other a hard time, too, back when she was with us, and we've all been through that with Shaw at one time or another. But I think you really took him by surprise when you did that – and in a good sort of way."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. Don't worry, Kiddo, I know Shaw pretty well, and believe me, he's just taking some time to size you up right now. But pretty soon, you probably won't be able to keep him out of your hair. The two of you will end up driving each other crazy like an old married couple, and the rest of us will just watch and laugh."

Tori grinned, though she realized such a situation probably sounded a lot funnier than it really was. "You think so?"

"Sure thing. Just give him some time, that's all. And here he is right now – along with your boyfriend."

The young brunette gazed out the window to see the two people walking toward them and gasped. "Powell, Riley is not my boyfriend!"

Her defensive response was instantaneous, but Powell only regarded her with ill-concealed skepticism. "No?"

"No! Well, not yet, really. Not 'officially' since he's never asked me or anything…" There really wasn't much else she could say to that, and Tori's argument trailed off to its inevitably lame end as Shaw and Riley reached the car.

The techie had been throwing dark, distrusting glances at Shaw the entire way over, and when he saw Tori sitting up front with Powell, his expression immediately soured even more.

"Come on, T," he said briskly, opening the back door and motioning for her to join him. She complied, and Shaw slid into the front seat she had just vacated.

"Well?" Powell at once questioned. "How'd it go?"

"Everything went smoothly. The others should be out shortly, and Viktor's already on his way over."

As Shaw continued to update his comrade on the day's happenings, Riley leaned over to Tori and whispered, "You okay?"

She blinked, taken entirely by surprise. "Yes, of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because," he hissed back with an anxious glance up front, "you were stuck out here with _them_."

Tori rolled her eyes. "Riley, please. I know things went bad the last time you worked with these guys, but they aren't going to hurt us now. They want Phil back as badly as we want Haley, so you don't have to worry about me. Why are you suddenly acting all over-protective anyway?"

"Because, T, I…" the techie's voice faltered as he struggled to find the right words. "Well, what I mean…or, what I've been trying to tell you is that I…"

"Hey, Riley, great work back there!"

Both Tori and Riley jumped as the serenity of the car was shattered by the arrival of Ben, Abigail, and Ian. It was Ben who had spoken and therefore interrupted them. Abigail slid in next to Tori, slamming the door shut behind her. Apparently, her "staged" argument with Ben had indeed hit just a little too close to home, and she clearly was not in a talkative mood.

But the good news was that hidden under Ben's jacket lay their next clue – a secret wooden plank taken from the Queen's Resolute Desk. They would take it back to their hotel for analysis as soon as possible.

Just then, Viktor came pulling up beside them to take a few passengers of his own, and they were off. As they drove, Tori kept glancing around nervously, half-expecting to see Mitch and his cohorts come hurtling around a corner after them. But in this version, the car chase never came. It was likely Mitch Wilkinson was still keeping an eye on them as they delved deeper into the hunt, but there was no need for him to come chasing them this time around. He was already well in control.

* * *

It didn't take long for Haley to realize that the longer she tried to feign despondency and depression, the easier it seemed to come. Not much in their situation had changed, and by now, she was simply getting restless. She wanted so badly to talk to Phil again, but at the same time, she knew it was the last thing in the world she should be doing. She couldn't risk betraying their secret.

Just then, there came the sound of movement from outside the door, and one of Mitch's henchmen – the same one who had come before, judging by his voice – peered in.

"Still nothing?" he asked, in reference to Phil.

"No," Haley replied glumly, forcing a sniffle. "Please help him?"

The man blew out a long sigh. "All right. We'll get someone in there to take a look at him."

As she heard his footsteps leading away from the door, Haley allowed herself a sly little smile and stole a glance over at Phil. He gave her a silent thumbs-up from where he lay, and Haley could have sworn she saw a ghost of a smile on his face, as well.

* * *

"I'm telling you, this is a bad idea. You don't know what you're getting into here."

Benjamin Gates rolled his eyes. "Dad, please, it'll be fine. You don't even have to come in if you don't want to."

"You'd better believe I don't want to," Patrick shot back stubbornly. "But I'll come in anyway, just to make sure the rest of you come out in one piece."

As she walked behind the father and son pair, listening in on their conversation, Tori bit back a chuckle and hid her grin under her hand. She, Riley, Abigail, and the two Gates family members were currently visiting a college campus in Virginia, on their way to see the only person any of them knew who could possibly translate the ancient native American languages on the plank from the Resolute Desk – Ben's mother.

Ian and company had wisely decided to sit this one out, and Patrick would have been sorely tempted to join them, had Ben not dragged him along with them. Tori, on the other hand, wouldn't have missed this for the world! She had always loved Emily's character, and the thought of meeting her in "real life" now was an unbelievable treat. Thank goodness at least _that _particular aspect of the plot hadn't changed.

"Here we are," Ben announced, coming to a halt by a certain door. "I've got the plank. Are you guys ready?"

Tori nodded excitedly. "I am!"

At that moment, the door opened from the inside, and a furious-looking young lady came storming out, exclaiming, "Ugh, I hate her!"

Riley's eyes went wide, and he said with great hesitation, "I, uh, actually think I might just sit out here and wait for you guys." He slowly sat down on a bench outside the room and smiled sheepishly up at his companions.

Abigail shook her head in disbelief, but Ben was quick to get them back on track. He opened the door and gestured Abi, Tori, and Patrick inside ahead of him. They stepped into a room populated by mounds of books, a sofa, and a large writing desk.

And behind the desk sat Emily herself. She looked up in surprise when they entered, but as soon as her eyes landed on Patrick, they grew hard.

"Ben, sweetheart, how are you?" She still smiled and got up to give Ben and Abigail hugs, and Tori grinned from ear to ear as Ben introduced her to his mom.

She beamed, "Emily, it's so nice to meet you! I am such a fan – of American history, that is – and I've heard so much about you!"

Emily's eyes shone with appreciation, and she gave Tori a quick pat on the cheek while the nineteen-year-old herself was thanking every deity she could think of that she'd been able to cover up that near-disastrous slip. Weren't she and Haley supposed to be past all that by now, anyway?

Meanwhile, after Patrick and Emily had exchanged cold greetings of their own, Ben sat his mother down on the couch and held out the antiquated wooden plank for her examination.

"Oh my goodness," the elderly lady breathed. "This is beautiful…"

"We need you to translate it, Mom. Do you think you can do that?"

"I believe so, yes." Emily brought her glasses down from her head to rest on her nose and gazed down at the object of inspection, thoughtfully mumbling a few things under her breath as she went along.

Before long, the entirety of the plank was translated, and it was with heavy hearts that Ben and the others learned that the message continued on a second plank – no doubt hidden within the twin Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.

"I'm sorry, Kids," Emily told them, addressing everyone but Patrick.

Ben stood up and took the plank back from her with a sigh. "It's all right, I'm sure we'll figure out something. Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, sweetie." She hugged him, then Abigail, and lastly turned to embrace Tori. "It was wonderful to meet you, dear. You are just too sweet!"

Tori grinned madly at the compliment, pleased beyond words to have found herself in Emily's rarely-bestowed favor. She deliberately ignored the sight of Patrick rolling his eyes behind them.

* * *

"Damn!" Shaw paced restlessly across the floor like a caged wildcat, and this latest exclamation of profanity was actually one of the mildest they'd heard from his lips since their return. Tori was beginning to realize now exactly why film coverage of Ian and company in recreational situations had been so limited. This particular scenario would most certainly _not _have been appropriate for young children!

They were all reunited back in the Gates' family estate – the only location large enough to house all of them at once. Even Patrick, now fully aware of their dire situation and all that was at stake, stood with them offering his support. But it would seem their options now were very limited.

"We have to get a look at that desk," Ian stated at length, with as much unshakable resolution as when he had spoken to Ben about stealing the Declaration back on _The Charlotte_.

And just like he did back on that fateful day, Ben questioned, "How?"

"We'll need to break into the Oval Office, Ben – it's the only way. I already have the basis for a plan similar to a job we pulled back in England long ago. We'll need to get our hands on a fair share of small explosives, but it can be done. I still have my connections."

Ben only shook his head, sighing, "No, Ian. Please, let's not go through this again – not when so much is on the line."

"Then what do you propose we do?"

"I don't know. I agree, we need a chance to explore the desk, but there's gotta be a better way than blasting our way in…"

He trailed off, obviously flustered with himself, and the others in the room simply waited in expectant silence for their two respective ideas-men to come to their conclusion.

So it was quite the surprise for many of them when Abigail suddenly stood up and said, "Wait! I have an idea, and we'll only need one asset on our side to make it work."

"Oh, really?" Ian raised his eyebrows. "And what asset might that be?"

Abigail smiled at him sweetly, but there was more than a hint of mischief in her eye as she revealed her own ace-in-the-hole.

"Connor."

**Halo's A/N: **Yay, we're moving along! Like I said, I'm kinda hoping to get some more written soon, but just in case not, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

**Tori's A/N:** Yeah, I'm sorry too, everybody! I hope we can get more of this up soon, because we should probably finish it, lol. I liked this chapter, I hope you guys did too! But, as Haley said, if we don't, have a Merry Christmas!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary:** The long-awaited sequel to Tori's and Halo's random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we're still just having fun. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I wish we could say differently this second time around, but even though we've now been a part of _National Treasure_, we still own nothing. Except ourselves, of course.

**Authors' A/N: **Hey, everyone! Hope your Christmases were great, and Happy New Year to you all! Special thanks to those of you who've stuck with us and reviewed the last chapter. You're the best! And now here's an update for you all to start the new year off right. Enjoy, and here's wishing you all the best in 2009!

**Chapter 8**

"Ugh, I can't stand this!"

"Tori, relax," Shaw chided impatiently. "I'm sure they'll be back soon enough."

It was now Tori's turn to pace, and oh how she hated it! Ben and Abigail had embarked on "Operation White House" over an hour ago, and there was still no word from them. Sure, things would probably go about as smoothly as they had in the movie, and with the same results, but who was to say for sure? As far as Tori was concerned, it was all still terribly nerve-wracking!

Right now, all she could do was wear a hole in the floor of the Gates' spacious living room where she waited with Patrick and Ian and Company, the former of whom still hadn't forgiven the latter for kidnapping him two years ago. Suffice to say, things were a bit tense.

Riley was currently at the site of the mission as well, waiting in the car and ready to speed back home the instant Ben and Abi returned, whether they had been successful or not. Sadly, Tori knew it would be latter; however, she did have to indulge in a small, secret smile when she remembered how anxious poor Riley had been at the thought of leaving her here with _them._

It was cute, Tori had to admit, but she hoped the techie's protectiveness in this regard wouldn't lead to any unnecessary conflict between Ben and Ian. Goodness knew that was the last thing Haley and Phil needed right now! And besides, Tori rather enjoyed working with "Ian and Company." It was such a drastic change from being around Ben, Abi, and Riley all the time.

_Ring. Ring. _

Tori jumped from her measured pacing at the sudden sound of Ian's cell phone, and all eyes turned toward their British comrade as he answered.

"Hello, Ben?" He paused, listening. "All right, we'll see you soon. Bye."

The curses that spewed from Ian's mouth the instant he hung up the phone could have rivaled even those of his right-hand-man, and the others in the room could only grimace in apprehension of what news awaited them.

Powell finally mustered the courage to speak up. "Well?"

"It wasn't there," Ian muttered, running a hand through his blonde hair in aggravation. "They got into the Office, but the damn clue wasn't bloody there!"

"What?" Shaw almost looked helpless – if such a thing were possible. "What do they mean the clue wasn't there? It _had _to be there, there's no other place it _could _be."

"I don't know all the details," Ian sighed. "But I'm sure Gates will fill us in when he gets back."

* * *

"It was just…empty," Ben explained later on as they all gathered around the kitchen table, listening to the tale with a growing sense of desperation. "Abigail's plan with Connor went like clockwork, and I got the desk open the same way as before, but…" The treasure hunter trailed off then, throwing up his hands in a useless gesture. There was no need for him to finish the sentence.

"So, what now?" Viktor prompted after a moment's silence. "I mean, this can't be the end?"

Ben and Ian exchanged nervous glances, and neither one of them had an encouraging word to offer.

"No, this isn't the end." Surprisingly, it was Riley who answered that dreaded question, and he did so while looking rather smug. "It isn't the end because I think you're all forgetting something very important."

Ben's head jerked up from its downcast musings. "Oh? And what's that Riley?"

The techie smiled. "We need the President's Secret Book."

"The _what_?" Abigail's face was locked in a hard frown. "Riley, what on earth are you talking about?"

The young man's face fell. "You…you didn't read my book, did you?"

He was met by a collection of blank, disinterested faces from Ian and Company, while those who were supposed to be his friends guiltily turned their heads away, refusing to meet his betrayed blue eyes.

"I was planning to read it when I had the chance, Riley," Ben murmured, ashamed. "Honest."

"I read it!" Finally unable to restrain herself any longer, Tori all but threw herself headlong into Riley and crushed him in a monstrous embrace. "I read your book, Riley, and I loved every word of it! I must've read it at least half a dozen times already, just ask Haley, and I know exactly what the President's Book of Secrets is!"

Riley grinned in heartfelt appreciation and hugged her back, more gently this time. "Thanks, T. I knew I could always count on you." He smiled down at her, and Tori felt her heart do another one of those inexplicable little flip-flops.

"You know, this is really a very _touching _moment," Shaw's drawling voice broke in, "but just in case you forgot, there are still some of us here who have no idea what the bloody hell you two are talking about!"

"Oh yeah, sorry." Riley cleared his throat and took a step away from Tori. "The President's Book of Secrets is one of the urban legends I wrote about in my book. It's a collection of conspiracies and other things that each President knew about but managed to keep secret, and it gets passed down every time a new President is elected."

"But you just said it was an 'urban legend'," Abigail interrupted him. "Why should we waste our time with something that isn't even true?"

"_I _believe it's true," the techie stated firmly. "Just like Ben and I believed the Templar Treasure was real."

There could be little arguing with him there, and the next one to speak, with more than a hint of resignation in his voice, was Ian.

"Well, I suppose we ought to do our due research then. Is there any way to find out if the Book truly does exist?"

Ben nodded, his eyes hardening with renewed determination. "I know someone who can help us."

* * *

Launching off into a daring escape attempt had to be the single most terribly exhilarating experience of Haley's life! But failing in that same attempt by far had to be the worst.

Phil had performed beautifully, and her own acting hadn't been bad, either. Unfortunately, there had been two more of Mitch's henchmen outside than they had originally counted on, and it had simply proven to be too much.

Haley was shoved back into that cursed little room with nothing worse than a few bruises to show for her trouble, but Phil was painfully later in coming. The brunette stared at the closed door and listened, horrified, to what sounded like a scuffle coming from outside. And a series of vicious grunts and curses from more than one source did little to appease her awful suspicions.

Before long, the door opened, and Phil was dumped none too gently into an unceremonious heap on the floor of their tiny room.

"Phil!" Haley was on her knees beside him in an instant, but there was no response. The man looked a very bruised and bloodied mess. Haley swallowed thickly.

Just then, a shadow fell across them, and she looked up to see none other than Mitch Wilkinson himself silhouetted in the doorway of their hateful prison.

"A valiant effort," he commended with false admiration, "but I don't suggest trying that again. It would be a shame for your friends if some…unfortunate accident were to befall the two of you before they could complete their task." And with a cold smile of derision, he was gone, the door slamming shut in finality behind him.

Haley glared fiercely after him, but she dared not say anything to arouse the man's anger. The last thing she needed right now was to be separated from her steadfast companion.

As though sensing her thoughts, Phil moaned and stirred under her hand then; and once he had come fully to his senses, she helped him with great effort over to the bed. He collapsed again as soon as they reached it, and Haley had to help him roll over onto his back. He was so obviously in pain, and so obviously trying to conceal it from her, she could hardly stand it.

"Oh, Phil, I'm so sorry," she whispered softly, ignoring the hot tears that had begun to escape down her cheeks.

"Sorry?" he repeated weakly, his breathing heavy and ragged. "Haley, sweetheart, why should you feel sorry? We tried, and we failed – and _I'm _sorry for that."

Haley sniffled, nodded, and bravely wiped away her trail of tears. "We were so close."

"You did great, hon – we would never have gotten as far as we did without you."

"I know. I just feel so bad…"

She sat beside him on the small bed and took one of his large hands in both her own, comforted beyond words when he still gave hers a reassuring squeeze.

"It was a good idea, though," she went on, if for no other reason than to distract them both with conversation, "pretending to still be unconscious all that time. I'm not sure I would have thought of it."

"Shaw taught me that once – if you ever wake up in a strange place, pretend you're still asleep until you can figure out what's going on. And it almost worked. It got us out that door, at any rate."

"That it did." Haley sighed weakly, then bent down to kiss his neck. "Thank you for trying."

Phil groaned. "Why do you have to do that?"

"Do what?" the young woman beside him asked innocently before kissing him again.

"_That_," he reiterated. "Why do you have to do that now, when I can barely move?"

Haley laughed, her forced mirth admittedly lightening the mood. "Oh, I'm just taking advantage of the opportunity to kiss you without you having to bend over, or me having to stand on my tip-toes and strain my neck."

She gently kissed him on the lips then, a gesture which he returned.

"Do you want me to stop?"

Phil grinned, despite the pain of a bleeding lip. "What do you think?"

But one more kiss, and Haley was done. Phil was utterly exhausted, she could tell, if from nothing else than his weak but heartfelt kisses.

"How bad do you think you're hurt?" she ventured to ask.

Phil grimaced. "I'm not sure. Definitely some cracked ribs, which I hope is the worst of it. But if I move my head too fast, the whole room starts to spin."

"A concussion?" Haley guessed, not liking the sound of this at all.

"Maybe. I can't really say for sure."

The brunette shook her head. "We need to get you to a doctor."

"No way," Phil stated with sudden firmness.

"Why not? You're hurt – badly."

"I've had worse. Besides, a trip to the doctor would also end up in a trip right back to jail."

Haley felt the fight drain out of her. "Oh yeah, you're right. To jail – directly to jail; do not pass GO, do not collect two hundred dollars."

Phil chuckled, but winced when the movement brought back the pain in his sides in full force. Haley worriedly clasped his hand until the spell had passed.

"I wish Shaw was here," he admitted through clenched teeth after a few moments. "He's actually got a pretty good eye for injuries like this, having seen and been in as many street fights as he has."

"Somehow I don't find that too surprising," Haley remarked grimly. "But you know, if this were some romantic movie, _I _would care for your wounds and nurse you back to health."

"But?"

"_But _I have no idea what I'm doing, and nothing to work with even if I did. So I'm just gonna tell you to lie on your back and move as little as humanly possible."

Phil sighed, an action painful in and of itself. "Oh, great. Just what I needed – more lying down."

* * *

"So there really is a 'Book of Secrets' then?"

Ben nodded. "According to Sadusky, at least, and I trust him."

"Well, if we need the Book," Ian mused, "it would seem the best way to get it would be to go through the President himself."

"Oh really." Abigail arched an eyebrow. "And how exactly are we supposed to do that?"

The blonde Englishman appeared almost sheepish. "We could…arrange for a private meeting with him, I think."

"Private?" Riley echoed. "As in 'away from all the security guards'?"

"Of course."

The techie shook his head, perplexed, and rose from his seat beside Tori to begin pacing. "No, Ian, there is no way Ben or I would ever help you do this. I mean, we're talking about a more serious crime than stealing the Declaration of Independence!"

"That's right, Riley," Ben spoke up. "But we're going to do it anyway."

All eyes fixed themselves on the impassive face of Benjamin Franklin Gates, and for a moment, the silence was thick. Abigail, looking aghast, finally broke it.

"What did you say? Ben, you can't be serious?"

"You heard me. I knew it would come to this all along, Abigail. We're going to kidnap the President of the United States."

After a lengthy and rather heated argument between Ben and Ian about who would actually kidnap the President, they finally reached an agreement. Ian had suggested that he and his men be the guilty party, as they were already wanted men, and a crime like this would only prolong their sentence from indefinite to eternal. What was more, they were already formulating a very viable a plan of how it could be done.

But Ben had insisted that he be the one to do it, since it was his family's reputation they were defending. And besides, he already had a flourishing plan of his own.

**Halo's A/N: **Yay, so things are moving along quite nicely here. Off to Mt. Vernon in the next chappie. But gosh, I cannot believe some of the things I just wrote in this chapter! Tori, dear, what's happening to me?

**Tori's A/N:** You know, Mt. Vernon would be a nice change of scenery for a change. Do you know if it's nice this time of year? I have no clue! But I don't know what's getting into you, Halo, dear. Seems you and Phil are getting along nicely, lol. But what's with me and Riley? Hmm… I'd better not do too much teasing here. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! See ya' next time!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary:** The long-awaited sequel to Tori's and Halo's random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we're still just having fun. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I wish we could say differently this second time around, but even though we've now been a part of _National Treasure_, we still own nothing. Except ourselves, of course.

**Authors' A/N: **Hi, we're back! I suppose we're still making progress here, slowly but surely. Thank you bunches to **Miss Fenway **and **daisyduke80 **for their reviews, and also to everyone else who's still reading and sticking with us! We really do appreciate your patience. And with that said, here goes the great kidnapping adventure of Chapter Nine.

**Chapter 9**

"T, will you please stop pacing?"

No answer.

"You know, Tori, Riley's right. You have been doing a lot of pacing lately."

The aggravated brunette in question threw up her hands. "Well, maybe that's because pacing is all I can ever do with you people! I hate being left behind while everyone else gets to go do all the important stuff!"

Tori's restless pacing continued without so much as a pause, entirely unaffected by the cool Virginian night air. She stood with Riley and Abigail in a deserted parking lot about two miles from Mt. Vernon, where a daring and reckless kidnapping was now well under way.

Aware of her companions' concerned stares, she wrung her hands, still pacing. "I don't know, it's just that everyone else is gone taking all the risks, and it makes me feel so worthless."

"No!" Riley was in front of her in an instant, grabbing her firmly by the shoulders so that she ceased her pacing. "Tori, you are _not _worthless! How could you even say that? Don't you realize how important you are to me – to all of us? I don't ever want to hear you talk like that again."

Pleasantly startled by his vehemence, Tori nodded mutely but soon found herself offering him a timid smile of appreciation. He smiled back and tightened his grip on her shoulders one last time before releasing her. Abigail, meanwhile, observed the whole interaction with a small, knowing smile on her face. As far as she could see, things here were progressing nicely. Finally.

Riley's outburst seemed to have appeased Tori for a time, but it was difficult when truly all they could do was wait. Patrick had posed as an errant fisherman to distract the guards while Ben, dressed in his customary tuxedo disguise, infiltrated the President's birthday party. Ian and Company were dispersed throughout the perimeter, beyond the reach of the Secret Service agents, but close enough to still keep an eye on things just in case Mitch and his gang likewise decided to crash the party.

One hour ticked by, and then another. And poor Tori was frantic once again.

"Oh no," she lamented as she resumed her panicked pacing. "Why aren't they back yet? It's been too long, they _should _have been back by now! What if something's happened to them? What if they found Ian? What if Ben got caught, and now we'll never find the Book of Secrets?!"

"Tori! T, calm down, they're all right." But despite his best efforts, Riley's young lady friend still looked as though she were about to tear her hair out. Which would have been a great loss because she had just gotten it cut, and they all agreed the style was most flattering on her.

At length, the desperate techie turned to Abigail and pleaded, "Help me!"

She only raised her eyebrows and continued filing her nails. "Why do you need my help, Riley Poole?"

"Because you're a _girl_, so you should know how to handle another _girl _who's totally freaking out on me!"

Abigail just smiled. Riley was on his own here, and they both knew it. Besides, it would be good for him – a profitable time of bonding between him and Tori, if nothing else. It was just cute that he cared and got himself so worked up on his dear friend's account.

But just as Riley was beginning to fear that Tori's reckless pacing would lead her to another state, their comrades returned, and he was eternally grateful. As was Tori. She ran up to hug the first person she saw, who happened to be Patrick, and he responded with a calming, fatherly pat on her shoulder. It did wonders.

"Well?" Abigail pressed Ben once they had all congregated together. "How'd it go?"

"Everything went fine," he replied, still looking immensely relieved to be in the company of his friends and not a high-security prison.

"And how about the rest of you?" Tori asked anxiously, addressing Ian.

"Well enough," he answered with a shrug and a shared glance with Shaw. "We found a couple of suspicious characters prowling around. No idea who they were, but they were armed with sniper rifles."

"What happened?"

"We took them out."

Abigail's jaw dropped, and her eyes widened, horrified. "You _killed _them?"

Shaw rolled his eyes at her. "No. Unfortunately."

"But they are tied up nicely and waiting for the Secret Service to find them. It'll make their night, I'm sure, on top of having to search for the President."

Even Riley looked impressed. "How'd you do it?"

The Englishman chuckled quietly, almost to himself. "Let's just say it helps to have the element of surprise on your side."

Tori grinned as he spoke, relieved beyond expression that they were all gathered here together again! Well, almost all of them.

"But the Book, Ben," Riley urged. "What about the President's Book of Secrets?"

The treasure hunter grinned in turn. "I told him about our situation, and he told me everything we need to know. We have to get to the Library of Congress, and fast. Something tells me Sadusky might already have an idea of who was behind this fiasco tonight."

------------------

"How are you feeling?"

"Terrible."

"Really? That bad?"

"No, actually. Miserable is a better word."

"I thought I was supposed to be the Walking Thesaurus?"

"You still are. I'm the Lying Down Thesaurus."

Haley grinned. At least Phil had maintained his sense of humor, now that he was awake, and she finally had someone to talk to!

"Isn't there anything I can do?"

"Nope." Phil grimaced as he tried to shift positions on the bed. "Afraid not. Just keep me company, okay, Sweetheart?"

"Gladly." She patted his head affectionately, but couldn't think of much else to do after that besides pace. It didn't do much but wear a hole in the floor, she realized, but somehow it made her feel just a little bit closer to Tori. Who knew? Maybe Tori was pacing quite a bit herself lately, and their almost-sisterly bond carried the desire over to her?

"You don't have to keep pacing like that, you know," Phil's weary voice interjected into her thoughts. "Just watching you is enough to make me dizzy, which makes my head hurt even more."

Haley stopped in her tracks. "Sorry! It's just so natural. I mean, there's nothing else to bloody do in here."

"You sound like Shaw." Phil sounded amused, and a small smile played across his lips. "You sure you haven't seen him recently?"

"No, I haven't seen him since you all were hauled off to prison two years ago." She chuckled suddenly. "But if Mitch is telling the truth, it sounds like Tori's seeing a lot of him now. Poor girl."

"Yeah. Shaw's not the easiest person in the world to get along with; unless you're Ian, that is."

Haley nodded but had to violently battle the urge to start pacing again. So she tapped her toe instead.

Phil frowned. "I notice you seem a lot more anxious this time around."

"Huh?"

"When we kidnapped you last time, you were your normal fun and cheery self – the Haley that won me over. But now, you just look like one big nervous wreck."

Haley sighed, letting her shoulders sag a little as she thought that over. "Yeah, but last time I wasn't being kept in the same tiny closet for days on end. Plus…I don't know, I guess I just trusted you guys more for some reason."

She couldn't tell him the real reason, of course – that she'd already known how everything was going to turn out last time. But this time? This time, she'd no idea.

"I hate seeing you like this," Phil spoke up. "Especially since there really isn't anything we can do now to get out of this bloody hell-hole."

Haley laughed. "Who sounds like Shaw now?" she gently teased, but nevertheless, his words struck true. They really were stuck now, and for a man like Phil, it must have been eating away at him more than she, as a girl, could ever realize. But seeing him so despondent like this hurt her almost as much.

At this point, sadly, there really wasn't much either of them could do for the other, except simply be there. So Haley walked over and lay down on the bed beside him, snuggling up against his arm.

Under normal circumstances, this surely would have raised a little red flag in the back of her mind, but as it was, Phil could scarcely move. He tried to lift his arm and put it around her shoulders, but even that motion was arrested by the stabbing pains in his side. He hissed audibly, and while Haley did indeed feel sorry for him, she also found it difficult not to laugh at his pitiable state.

"Poor Phil."

His dark eyes narrowed down at her, and this time she did laugh.

"I'm sorry, Phil, I'm sorry. But I know, you don't need my sympathy."

Still smiling, Haley kissed him on the cheek and laid her head down on his shoulder. Strangely enough, she felt perfectly safe and cozy here just by being close to him. And what was more, this would be the best night's sleep she'd had in days! Phil was so much comfier than that darn chair.

---------------------

All was quiet in the Library of Congress. Deceptively quiet. Tori kept glancing around nervously as their group of seven progressed through the building's stunning beauty. Patrick was back at home, most likely praying for their safe return, and Viktor was out in the car waiting for their safe return. But Tori felt pretty confident he wasn't praying for them.

By listening to Shaw's confiscated police scanner on the way over, they now knew that Agent Sadusky had indeed guessed them to be the culprits, and the FBI was in hot pursuit. It didn't leave them very much time, but right now, things were still quiet.

Ben, followed closely by Ian, led them all up to where the Book of Secrets was hidden, and after a bit of trial and error, they had the prize laid out in front of them. Tori stood on her tip-toes, trying to see over Powell's broad shoulder and not having very much luck. Maybe she should have bought some heels on her one of her many shopping trips with Haley, after all.

But she did have a pretty good view of Ben, and she distinctly saw him take two pictures on his phone – one of the plank they needed from the Resolute Desk, and one of the ever-mysterious Page Forty-seven. And Tori couldn't see it. She'd gone through all this and come all this way through both movies – she was standing two feet away from the bloody thing – and she still didn't know what it said. Dang it!

She would have to vent about this to Haley once they got her back, for Tori had been struggling to make a habit of talking and thinking as though there was no doubt that they would succeed in rescuing their two friends. It gave her hope, no matter how chaotic things got.

All of a sudden, Ben's head jerked up toward the library entrance. "Oh no."

Speaking of chaos.

Ian took charge. "Quick, everyone else get out of here. I'll stay with Ben to make sure we have everything we need. Now, go!"

There was no disobeying Ian Howe, and the rest of them took off down the stairs with fire at their heels. Tori's last glance back at their two leaders disclosed that they had just finished returning the Book to its proper place and were likewise on their way. That made her feel better, but there was still the issue of the FBI agents rapidly closing in on them.

"Move!" Shaw shouted from behind her. He even shoved her in the shoulder to emphasize the point, but Tori noted it was only hard enough to urge her forward and not make her stumble. Riley glared daggers back at him before grabbing Tori's arm and pulling her onward himself.

At long last, they reached the parking lot.

"I work here!" Abigail shouted needlessly as they dashed past the dazed security guard.

Tori looked behind her once more, the blood pounding in her ears as she ran. Shaw and Powell were back there, but where were Ben and Ian?

They arrived at their van and piled in, practically having to crawl over top of one another in the process. Viktor started the vehicle at Shaw's insistence and began inching forward. Where were those two?

There! Tori felt like she could have cried when Benjamin Gates and Ian Howe finally came rushing into sight around the corner. They jumped into the van even as Viktor was accelerating away, and their companions helped to pull them in.

But they weren't in the clear yet. Security was starting to close down everything around the Library of Congress, and getting out of this parking lot was clearly going to be one wild ride. And so it was.

Half of them didn't even have time to get their seatbelts fastened, so they were bouncing around like a bunch of rag dolls as Viktor violently jerked the van from side to side. Abigail hit her head on the ceiling and bit out a curse in German, muttered something else in English about how she wished she was driving.

The pillar-like barricades at the parking lot entrance were just beginning to rise up as they approached, and Tori braced herself. They bounced over the barriers and down the street like rock skipping across a tranquil pond, and as they drove off into the night, a collective cheer of victory went up from all of them. Well, all of them except Abigail.

**Halo's A/N: **Whew, that was exhausting. But we have another chapter done, and hopefully you can expect more soon. Oh, and ain't it sweet how Riley and Phil are both all protective? Gotta love those guys. See ya next time!

**Tori's A/N**: Aw, that was sweet! I really liked this chapter. Curse our sisterly-bond by making us both pace, lol. Just kidding, Halo! And Riley is getting awfully protective… But you mentioned my haircut! That was a pleasant surprise! For those of you who have seen "Twilight" or at least have seen pictures of the characters, my hair is now cut like Alice's. I'm finally starting to get used to it. But thanks for reading! Our next chapter is on its way on!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary:** The long-awaited sequel to Tori's and Halo's random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we're still just having fun. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I wish we could say differently this second time around, but even though we've now been a part of _National Treasure_, we still own nothing. Except ourselves, of course.

**Authors' A/N: **Hello again, and look! We have an update for you so very soon. Can you believe it, Tori-kins? Oh, it's so exciting to be making progress again. And thanks, as always, to our dear friends who are still R&R-ing! And now here we go, moving right along into Chapter Ten.

**Chapter 10**

The following morning found Phil still agonizingly sore and Haley in an incessantly talkative mood.

"So, how exactly did you all end up together?"

"What?"

"You, and Ian and Company." Haley flinched, not believing she'd just used her old personal nickname for Ian and his gang. It must've slipped, but thankfully, Phil didn't seem to find it strange.

"I don't think I ever did hear the whole story of how he found you."

"Actually, it's more a question of how _I_ found _him_." Phil grinned, his eyes growing slightly distant as he reminisced. "I was twenty-three – your age – and after some rather…stupid decisions, I ended up owing a lot of money to some people around town – people you typically didn't want to get involved with, much less have them after you to pay off an old debt.

"But stealing is what had gotten me into that mess, and I'd been hoping it would also get me out. So, I ended up targeting the house of a rich Englishman who'd moved into the nicer side of town with some friends only about a year earlier."

"No way!" Haley sat up straighter and stared at him, incredulous yet terribly amused. "Are you serious? You actually met Ian because you _robbed _him?"

"Basically. I got into their house one night when they were away – out pulling a job of their own, as I found out later. But I broke in without much trouble, even though Ian had the place equipped with all kinds of security."

"Well, that's not surprising."

"Not at all, but it ended up helping me later on. At the time, I had no idea what he actually did, only that it must have paid insanely well."

"True that. So…" she prompted. "What happened? Did they catch you?"

"I'm getting to that, Sweetheart, now just listen." Phil tried to be stern, without much luck when Haley looked back at him and batted her eyes in all childlike innocence.

He went on, "Everything went smoothly until the very end, just as I was ready to leave. They got back about two hours earlier than I'd expected, and yes, I was caught."

Haley held her breath. She was so intrigued in the tale, she forgot that she already knew the ultimately happy ending. But what happened in between was an entirely different matter.

"What happened next?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You ask way too many questions, Haley. Now will you please be quiet so I can finish the story?"

The fidgety brunette clamped her mouth shut and nodded. He sounded just like her dad, telling her to "stop asking questions" while they were watching a movie. Phil acknowledged her compliance with a small nod of his own.

"Good. Now, as I was saying, they caught me red-handed. I almost got away, but Shaw still caught up with me somehow. He was _not_ happy, and I thought for sure I was a dead man."

Haley gulped. No kidding! "But how on earth did he catch you? You're so much taller than him, and after all those years of playing basketball in school, surely you can run faster than him."

"That's what I thought, too," her companion agreed, too preoccupied with the memory to remind her to be quiet again. "I'm still trying to figure out how he managed it."

"But then what happened?" That earned her another glare from Phil, and Haley immediately shushed up again so he could continue.

"Well, one way or another, he caught me, and I seriously thought I was going to die."

She rapidly nodded her encouragement. It was understandable.

"But, thankfully, Ian got there before Shaw could kill me. He asked me some questions and was actually very impressed with my work, especially the mechanical aspect of things. Long story short, the offer was that I could either start working with them, or let Shaw have his fun. I've been working with them ever since."

Haley beamed. Hooray for the Happy Ending! "But what about the guys you owed money to?"

"Oh, them?" Phil chuckled, grimacing a little when it still pained him. "Shaw got to have his fun with _them_ instead, and strangely enough, we never heard from any of them again. Funny how that works, huh?"

"Yeah – funny."

But the irony of the whole story, coupled with the unshakable tension of the past few days, finally became too much, and Haley burst out into truly hysterical laughter. Phil eyed her warily, unsure if he was still safe with her in this state, as she gasped for breath and tried to compose herself. But it had simply been too long since she'd had a good laugh, and it was just the thing she needed.

Phil just stared at her, eyebrows raised, and wondering how much longer this insanity was could possibly go on. He had heard her laugh, of course, and many times, but he had never quite seen her "lose it" like this before.

At a loss for anything else to say, he stoically observed, "When you laugh like that, Sweetheart, it sounds like a squeaky door hinge."

But all that did was set her off again. Poor Phil would never know it, but her family of old had often described her crazy laugh with those exact same words. And now, as it always did then, it just made her laugh harder.

-----------------

Tori watched, once again fascinated, as Emily squinted over her glasses to translate the picture of the second plank. It was only Ben and Tori this time, since the latter just couldn't wait to see her new friend again and was understandably concerned about her safety. She needn't have worried.

As the minutes ticked by for the three of them sitting on the couch, the nineteen-year-old concluded that this plot line was infinitely better at least in the respect that Emily didn't have to get blackmailed and kidnapped by Mitch again. Instead, it had to be Phil and Haley who got captured, but at least neither of them were sweet old ladies who gave her hugs.

"So we're going to Mt. Rushmore?" Ben verified when his mother was finished.

"That's right," the elderly woman confirmed, "we are. And now, if you'll just give me a few moments, I'll get my bag, and we can be on our way."

Her son balked. "What? Mom, you're not serious?"

"Of course, I am. Ben, I've been ready to go since the day you brought in that first plank, because I knew somehow you would also find the second. I don't know what sort of treasure-hunting mischief your father has all of you mixed up in this time around, but when it so closely involves my personal historical specialty, you should know I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Ben pursed his lips, putting forth his last feeble argument as his mother retrieved a suitcase from beneath her desk.

"Okay, but Dad's not gonna' be too happy."

Tori, for her part, was grinning from ear to ear, simply elated. Emily was coming with them after all!

--------------------------

As their entire group strode across the tarmac toward the private plane that would carry them to Mt. Rushmore, Riley found the whole scenario highly inconceivable.

"Ian, how can you possibly be using one of your own private planes? You're still on the run! Hasn't the FBI frozen all of your assets or something like that?"

"All of 'Ian Howe's' assets, yes," the Englishman admitted. "But come now, Riley, do you really believe that this plane is registered under the name 'Ian Howe'?"

The techie had no answer for him, only lowered his eyes and glared down at his Converses, but Tori hesitantly cleared her throat. There was so much riding on this next question, no matter what "universe" she was in.

"But, 'Ian Howe' _is _your real name, right?"

Ian cast a sidelong glance back in her direction. "As far as you're concerned, my dear – yes."

Riley's blue eyes shot back up, and he bristled inexplicably at the "my dear." Yes, he knew it was just Ian being British, but it still roused his ire as though the man had fiddled with the settings on his precious laptop.

"Does Shaw know your real name?" Tori pressed, looking hopefully up at the bald man walking in front of her.

"Yes, he does."

"Any chance he'd tell me?"

"None whatsoever, luv. But you never know – it could be 'Ian Howe' after all."

The blonde Englishman smiled mischievously and threw a wink of blatant conspiracy over at Shaw, who made no comment.

"I hope it doesn't rain," Patrick muttered as they boarded the plane.

But Tori, who knew better, looked up at the sky and pouted when she saw only azure blue.

"I hope it does."

------------------------

The flight to South Dakota was for the most part uneventful, but Tori did remember to wave "Hi" to Haley's friend who lived in Sioux Falls when they flew over. That was, of course, considering her friend was actually still there in this strange movie-verse.

While on the plane, they had also discovered that Powell had remembered at the last possible minute to bring along a considerable amount of rope, and that he was determined to keep it with him throughout the duration of their next adventure. "A length of good, sturdy rope is something no decent treasure hunter should ever leave home without," he'd stated.

Of course, his coworkers had badgered him about it ruthlessly, as was their wont, but it very much reminded Tori of Samwise Gamgee in "The Lord of the Rings." She didn't know if this rope would come in as handy for them as it had for those two little Hobbits on their way to Mordor, but it was still a cute thought, nonetheless.

And instead of being bound for Mount Doom, they were off to Mount Rushmore!

--------------------

Haley was bored. Again. And they were running out of things to talk about. Such was the setting under which she eagerly brought up their next topic.

"So, when did you first realize that the two of us actually had something going together?"

Phil arched his eyebrows at her in surprise. He was probably sick of her questions by now, but this subject would be too much fun to pass up.

He appeared to think about it for a moment, then replied, "That night in the hotel room when you stepped on me, and Shaw gave us a hard time about it."

Haley laughed, although this time it was under control. "Oh, Shaw. What a guy! I really do hope we get to see him again."

"Me, too. 'Cause as mad as I was at him that night, I had to admit later on that he was actually on to something. When did you first know?"

"A little later," she answered, smiling fondly. "The next day under Trinity Church."

Phil grinned back at her, a twinkle lighting up his dark eyes. "You mean our walk back through the dark tunnel?"

Haley blushed but sheepishly shook her head. "Well, the tunnel was when I first knew you felt the same way, but actually, I was thinking more of the time when you saved my life."

"Oh, when I stopped you from falling after everything started to collapse in the shaft?"

She shook her head again. "Nope."

Her companion frowned, now thoroughly confused. "Then when?"

"When you rescued me from the cockroach, of course! You were my knight in shining armor, saving my life from that evil little monster of death."

Phil rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless. Some things just never changed.

But by the end of the day, even Haley had exhausted herself from talking, and she lay back down next to Phil, planting a kiss on his cheek and resting her head on his shoulder. He took her hand as she fell asleep, and that was where the night left them.

**Halo's A/N: **Aw, how sweet, if I do say so myself. Ya know, if it weren't for being cooped up all the time, maybe I could get used to this whole kidnapping idea after all. Catch ya later!

**Tori's A/N**: Lol, I'm sure you would like being kidnapped with Phil, Halo. Anyway… so, we're on our way to Mount Rushmore! Horray! I've always wanted to go there! But, not really under these circumstances… Oh, well. With Ian (if that's even his name…) and Company there, things should go smoothly… Right?


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary:** The long-awaited sequel to Tori's and Halo's random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we're still just having fun. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I wish we could say differently this second time around, but even though we've now been a part of _National Treasure_, we still own nothing. Except ourselves, of course.

**Authors' A/N: **All right, we have completed one more chapter this past week and are feeling pretty good about where this story's headed. All in all, quite satisfied so far. Major kudos to **daisyduke80 **who's still sticking with us, despite our severely inconsistent updates. You're the best, girl! And now I hope you enjoy Chapter Eleven.

**Chapter 11**

There were voices. Hushed, whispering voices, but voices nonetheless. Haley cracked her eyes opened, suddenly alert, and strained her ears. It was Mitch. She nudged Phil, ever-so-gently, with her shoulder but knew it would be well enough to wake him. His hand tightened over hers, but he gave no other sign of consciousness. She did the same.

"How are our friends?" Mitch's words were difficult to make out, but if they held their breath, it was possible.

"Asleep," answered the current guard.

Mitch must have peeked in through the grated opening near the top of the door. "How sweet."

"Any news on the others?"

"They're on their way to Mt. Rushmore right now," Mitch informed his henchman, "and I think they're closing in on Cibola. I'll need to go there myself, though, and I'll be taking Seth and Daniel with me. Gates and Howe will need a little help with that last clue."

"And then?"

"Then…" Mitch paused, and Haley could just imagine the hateful smirk on his weathered face. "Then, once they find the City of Gold, they will have served their purpose, and we can do away with all of them. After all, we wouldn't want anyone to know the true story of how Cibola was found, now would we?"

Mitch's voice, along with his footsteps, gradually faded off in the distance; but Haley lay there in the dark next to an equally tense Phil, her heart pounding and her eyes wide.

_Tori, please be careful!_

--------------------------

The sun was beginning its downward trek in the western sky by the time Tori and the others finally reached Mt. Rushmore. And joy, oh joy, Mitch was there waiting for them. She could literally feel each of her companions tense as their nemesis drew nearer with a saccharine smile gracing his features.

"Welcome!" he exclaimed, but Shaw immediately pressed past Ian and the others to confront him.

"What are you doing here, Wilkinson? Just come to make things even more difficult for us, eh?"

"Oh no, not at all. I just wanted to congratulate you on having done so well – so far."

"How are our friends?" Ben demanded sharply, and Tori's gaze flickered anxiously back to Mitch.

The Southerner in question paused, the hesitation no doubt intentional. "Well enough. But I do suggest you get moving on with it here, for their sakes."

"We're going as fast as we can," Ben assured with a despondent sigh. "You didn't exactly give us much to work with, Mitch."

"No, I agree, I didn't. And you know what? I'd like to make it up to you."

Tori held her breath, watching with little surprise as Mitch withdrew another yellowed piece of paper from his coat pocket. He unfolded it and read aloud what Tori already knew to be the letter from Queen Victoria, their last clue. She also knew what would inevitably be its fate, so when the others were all calling out for Mitch not to burn the letter, she simply stood by and watched in silence until the artifact had been reduced to ashes.

Her friends were infuriated, she could tell, and Ben especially. He always did hate to see a piece of priceless history abused. But as it was, they all had more important things to deal with now, and first of all was finding "The Bird." Before long, they had unraveled the riddle and were splashing water all over the rocks of Mt. Rushmore.

Tori gave it a half-hearted effort, knowing already that Abigail would be the one to find what they all sought, but suddenly she found herself desperately missing Haley. Going through the exciting conclusion of a second adventure didn't seem nearly as fun as the first without her best friend by her side.

The nineteen-year-old felt hot tears brimming up in her hazel eyes, but before she could even wipe them away, she was startled from her melancholy by a splash of cold water on the back her neck. Letting out a cry of shock, Tori whirled around to face the culprit.

"Riley!"

Despite the severity of their current situation, the techie was grinning madly. "Sorry, T, I just couldn't help myself! And besides, Powell told me to."

"What?" The Scotsman looked up from the stones he had been wetting, a look of utter confusion on his face. "I did not!"

"Don't worry, Powell, I believe you," Tori assured him with a wave and a smile, but she did direct a teasing glare back at Riley. "You, however, are in big trouble, mister."

"Am I? Oh, that's too bad." Without any warning, Riley stepped nearer and grasped both of Tori's arms in gentle hands. "I know you're worried about Haley," he said quietly, leaning closer to speak into her ear. "But I also know that you're one of the strongest people I've ever met. We all need you to stay strong through this, T, and I know you will be."

Tori felt a little pang in her chest as her techie friend finished speaking, and she offered him a small smile and a grateful nod.

"Thank you, Riley," she replied softly, and her heart was in every word. "I needed that."

Riley returned the smile and opened his mouth to say something else. He never had the chance.

"Hey, I found it!"

Abigail's enthused cries led them all to gather around her, Tori and Riley included as the stillness of their moment together was irreparably shattered. Still standing beside her dear companion, Tori peered over Powell's shoulder to witness the discovery firsthand.

"Look at this," Abigail elaborated, roughly sketching the outline on the rock of an eagle with spread wings. Tori had to admit it was pretty cool. But her next question was whether or not Ben would still go through with his little "hand in the rock" ruse, now that Ian and Company were present.

"Ben, please don't do this. It's not safe!"

But Emily's pleas went unheeded as Ben did indeed stick his hand into "the heart of the warrior." Tori held her breath.

"Ahh!"

Ben screamed, his face contorting in agony, and the others around him, even Mitch and Ian, all leapt back in terror. Then, he started laughing.

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist."

A murmur of complaints rose up from his comrades, and Abigail even went so far as to punch him on the arm. Now that she was here in person, Tori could see it hadn't been all that playful of a punch, either.

The next sequence of events proceeded exactly as she remembered from the movie, and soon enough, they were headed to the secret entrance behind the waterfall. But as they tiptoed down the slippery incline toward the water's edge, Tori hurriedly whipped out her cell phone to record Ben's "funny walk" over the rocks. She and Haley had cracked up laughing many a time at this part, and she had every intention of showing this to her friend once they were reunited. It was even funnier in person, and she had to conceal her laughter behind her hand.

Their group carefully entered the dark cavern, but all the caution in the world couldn't stop the inevitable cave-in that followed. Tori knew it was coming, of course, but it was nonetheless terrifying. Riley grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back with him in one direction along with Ben and Abigail. When the dust had settled, the four of them were on one side of the rubble, and everyone else was on the other.

"Ben?" It was Ian's voice, the proper British accent unmistakable.

"Yeah, we're here," his reluctant partner called back. "We're okay. You?"

"Everyone's fine, yeah. Do you want us to try and clear this mess out?"

Ben stepped forward, placing the palm of his hand against one of the massive boulders that separated them from their friends.

"No, don't bother. Even with all of us working, it would take too long. We'll have to split up."

Ian sighed, and Tori could just imagine him running a hand through his hair, as was his wont. "That's fine, Ben. Just keep following the cave, wherever it takes you, and we'll do the same. Hopefully it'll lead us all to the same place."

"Yeah," Riley spoke up glumly from behind. "Hopefully."

--------------------------

"I just hope Shaw doesn't let some 'unfortunate accident' befall Mitch while we're separated," Abi confessed a few minutes later as she, Ben, Riley, and Tori groped their way through the dark cave.

"He won't," Ben assured her with a glance back over his shoulder. "Ian can keep Shaw in line, and besides, they both know we need to keep Mitch alive if we want to get Haley and Phil back."

Tori's adrenaline began giving way to depression again at the mention of her friend, but a smile soon crept back on her face as she thought of the others. No doubt Emily was still calling all the shots on their end of things, and the thought of Ian and Company taking orders from her was simply hilarious.

Just then, the ground beneath them started rumbling. Tori's face paled as she realized what was coming next, but it was too late. The stone under their feet gave way, and the four of them went tumbling, tumbling down, spilling over each other on the way, until at last they landed with a collective thud on a massive, moving slab. The Golden Table.

All too quickly did the four friends realize the precarious balance on which their lives now stood, and they each dashed to a separate corner of the Golden Table to even out the weight. Then they stood there, breathless and staring at one another, until a plan was formed: they would use the ladder hanging about halfway down to climb up onto the nearest level of cave floor. It would require some tricky manipulating of the Table, as well, but after one successful try that sent Abigail to safety, they knew it would work.

Riley followed her, and then only Ben and Tori remained.

"You go ahead, Ben," Tori urged him. No doubt this looked like a magnificent act of bravery on her part, but her mind was at ease because she already knew how the last person on the Table could also rise to safety.

"But how will we get you off once I'm gone?" the treasure hunter retorted. "Alone, you'll have to stay in the center of the Table to keep it level."

"We can roll something heavy down from where Abi and Riley are," she suggested, sounding brilliant. "It'll go past me, then raise up the Table so I can grab the ladder. Riley, Abigail, is there anything up there we could use?"

There was a pause before the response came, but noises from above testified to a rigorous search.

"Got it!" Abigail shouted back down. "We can roll this idol down. Now come on, Benjamin Gates, get up here!"

Ben nodded, but his gaze wandered anxiously back to Tori. "Are you sure you're all right doing this?"

"Of course! You're closer to the ladder now than I am, anyhow. Just go, Ben, I'll be fine."

Ben went, and as soon as his weight was removed, Tori dashed to the center of the Table like he had mentioned. Granted, it was a _tad_ scarier now that she truly was alone. The brunette gulped and threw a tentative wave up at her friends. Oh, how she just wanted to get out of here!

"Anytime now," she called out with a nervous little laugh.

The three compatriots above her rolled the heavy idol to the edge of where they stood.

"Ready, Tori?" Ben shouted down.

"Ready!"

"Okay, then. One, two, three – push!"

Tori watched the idol plummet down, watched it crash into the Table, and watched it come rolling toward her. Much faster than she had expected.

She ran forward, keeping her eyes locked on the ladder that would be her salvation, but she was so focused that she missed the timing on her jump over the rolling idol. Her foot caught on it, and she fell.

"T!"

Tori heard Riley's voice, but it sounded like he was calling from far across an ocean. All she knew was that she was rolling backward along with the idol and would soon fall. But she never did. The idol tumbled off first, and just before she reached the edge, the Table miraculously leveled out again.

Tori stared down at the dark, yawning abyss directly below her, her hands shaking and her heart pounding wildly. What the heck had happened? How was she still alive, and not some messy splat on the bottom of the cavern floor?

"T!"

The young lady looked again at the sound of her nickname, and what she saw filled her eyes with tears before she was even aware of the dampness on her cheeks. For there on the far end of the Golden Table stood Riley Poole.

"Riley!"

He looked so panicked, like he wanted nothing more than to run over and crush her in a hug, but at present, that was impossible.

"You okay, T?"

Tori drew a shuddering breath and nodded in a rush. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. But what happened?"

"He jumped," Abigail called down from above. "When he saw you fall, he just jumped down there like a big idiot." The blonde woman smiled in spite of herself. "A big, brave, wonderful idiot."

Tori looked back across the Table at Riley, her face hurting from a huge smile. "Thank you, Riley! I promise, I'll never forget this!"

He smiled back but shuffled his feet a little, looking almost bashful. "Don't worry about it. But this time, T, you're getting off first, and I'll go last."

"Will it work a second time?"

"Yep!" Ben quickly allayed the younger woman's fears. "It's not an idol, but there are a couple rocks up here that are about the same shape. It'll work."

"All right, then, let's do it."

Her determination fresh, Tori gingerly rotated around the Table to switch places with Riley before climbing up the ladder herself. The techie then rushed to the center in her absence and waited in his turn for salvation from above.

Ben leaned over the ledge. "You ready, Riley?"

"Let 'er go, Ben!"

The rocks were a bit more difficult to roll than the idol, but with their combined efforts, they managed to shove one off the edge. Riley likewise watched the rock come hurtling towards him, but he focused on timing his jump just right and cleared the hurdle with little trouble. Once the weight of the rock lifted him up, he was able to grab hold of the ladder, and with a little extra help from Ben, was pulled to safety.

"We did it!" Tori shrieked, throwing her arms around Riley's neck once he was secure. "Thank you so much, Riley! You saved my life, I'd be dead right now without you. You're, like, my hero!"

He returned the embrace, his arms a shelter for her as a few stress-induced tears leaked from her hazel eyes.

"What else could I have done, T?" he prodded, rubbing gentle, comforting circles on her back. "But don't you ever scare me like that again! I had no idea you were so accident-prone."

Now hearing once again the sarcastic teasing that was so customary of her friend, Tori drew back and narrowed her eyes at him, the tears banished.

"Don't _you_ scare _me _like that again, either! But I think you should know that I am _very _accident-prone, so you'd better get used to it."

The techie rolled his eyes and finally released her. "Don't tell me, this kind of thing happens to you all the time."

"Uh-huh." Tori giggled as they started following Ben and Abigail deeper into the cave. "If you thought this was bad, you should see me trying to walk in heels!"

**Halo's A/N: **Wow, what a chapter! A ton of action in that one, and I get the feeling Chapter Twelve's not gonna be a whole lot different. Wish us luck, and we'll ttyl!

**Tori's A/N**: Well, I must say, I'm very relieved that I made it out of that chapter alive! I have to thank Riley for that! He's getting braver if I do say so myself! But yeah, remind me to never stand on any precariously balanced tables again! Lol. And can things really get worse in Chapter Twelve? If that's the case, wish us luck! Thanks, guys!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary:** The long-awaited sequel to Tori's and Halo's random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we're still just having fun. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I wish we could say differently this second time around, but even though we've now been a part of _National Treasure_, we still own nothing. Except ourselves, of course.

**Authors' A/N:** All right, so a little down-time in Halo's life has allowed for some serious, concentrated attention to this fic. We've got two chapters for you now, and hopefully more very soon. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

**Chapter 12**

The remainder of their trip to Cibola was quite uneventful, as far as Tori was concerned. No doubt her companions found it all terribly exhilarating, but she had seen this so many times before. What troubled her now as they trekked through the underground labyrinth were thoughts of the others and whether or not they would all still make it to Cibola as Patrick and Emily had done in the movie. Another well-warranted concern, as Abi had mentioned earlier, was that no harm would come to Mitch while he was alone in the presence of Ian and Company; for as much as they all hated him, they still needed him alive to help their friends.

But at length, after passing through many tunnels and a Niagara Falls' worth of water, they arrived sopping wet at the Golden City of Cibola. Tori stepped out into the vast cavern, and now her eyes were every bit as wide as those of her companions. The city was enormous, and even in the dim underground light, it seemed to glow. The sight was simply breathtaking.

"Ben!"

It was Emily who called, and she emerged into the open space followed by all the others. Even Mitch, who appeared to be untouched. Tori waved at them, relieved that they were finally reunited and also amused that Emily did indeed appear to have led them there. Their mouths collectively dropped as they took in the view, and without warning, Patrick suddenly grabbed his former spouse around the waist and kissed her passionately on the mouth.

Tori and Abigail "awed" at the sight as Emily pulled back from the impromptu embrace, looking flushed yet pleasantly surprised. Powell, however, only shook his head.

"Like father, like son," he muttered.

Each person began slowly wandering off then to inspect whatever had most captured their individual attention. As one might imagine, no small number of jokes pertaining to human sacrifice followed.

It was a joyful time, really, until Tori realized to her utter horror that the water level was rising.

"Um, guys?"

She had Riley's attention in a heartbeat. "Yeah, T?"

"Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture?"

Her companions all looked around, not quite catching her drift, until Shaw softly swore under his breath. Then, it hit them all.

"Oh my God," Abigail breathed. "We've got to get out of here! Ben!"

"It's all right," he assured her, grasping her arm as a familiar light of panic lit her eyes. "Everyone make for the lower ground, there's an exit!"

Shaw shook his head. "The lower ground will be the first to fill."

"But if that's the only way out, who cares?" argued Powell as he hurried past his colleague.

Tori followed their rapidly retreating party back down the golden steps, all the while feeling her own chest beginning to tighten in panic. Oh Lord, please, this was _not _the time for a panic attack!

Someone took her arm then, and she looked back, relieved, to see Riley's earnestly concerned face. But even her friend's close proximity did little to still her deathly fear of drowning. Riley didn't even know about this intense phobia – she'd only told Haley!

Forcing herself to breathe, she continued with the others on their descent. By the time they finally reached the exit Ben had seen, the water was already up to their thighs. And a quick surveillance of their situation revealed what Tori already knew to be true – the heavy stone door would have to be closed from the other side, or they would all drown.

The icy waters, coupled with the cold fear in her stomach, made her begin to tremble, and the terrified nineteen-year-old backed up until she ran into the rock wall on the far side. They were trapped, and to put it mildly, she was freaking out!

But Riley was still there, paying attention only to her as their friends argued and the waters continued to rise. He came up behind her and tried as best he could to push her up against the wall so she could find a handhold and keep her head above water. It did little good, but he persisted.

"T!" the techie called around a mouthful of water. "Tori, if we survive this, can I take you out to dinner?"

Tori froze. Was he asking her out? Good God, but he could have picked a better time! "Uh, sure."

"And then maybe a movie afterwards?"

He _was _asking her out! Oh, now she _had _to survive just so she could tell Haley. "Sure!"

"Great!" Despite the circumstances, Riley's face now wore the biggest grin Tori had ever seen, and if nothing else, she was ecstatic just to have made him happy.

But in the meantime, her attention was drawn back to the inner room where Ben, Ian, Shaw, Powell, and Mitch were still bickering over how to best proceed in the face of their current dilemma. Mitch, of course, was adamant in insisting that he "would not be left behind," and the others had frankly grown quite sick of it.

"All right, all right!" Ben finally shouted above the rest. "_I'll _stay."

"No, Ben, don't do it!" The call of protest must have arisen from everyone on the other side of the fateful door – even Abigail, who appeared to be undergoing a radical change of heart in regard to her ex-boyfriend. Perhaps a few near-death experiences were all it took to bring some couples together?

"No, Ben. _I'll _stay. The rest of you get out, now!" It was Ian who spoke this time, and everyone save Tori seemed visibly shocked. But the brunette herself actually smiled. It was very in-character, she thought, for Ian to offer to stay behind. After all, he had always made sure that others were safe before himself throughout the first movie.

But now it was Shaw's turn to object, declaring that he would not leave his oldest friend down here to die. And yet, despite the various heroics, they were running out of time. The water was up to their chests now, and all hope seemed lost. Until…

"Hey, I've got it!" His face almost jubilant, Powell victoriously held aloft his length of rope. "We'll tie it open so everyone can get to the other side."

"Powell, you're a genius!" Ian exclaimed as he and Shaw immediately began aiding their comrade in his plan. In mere moments, they had the door secure, and everyone was safely on the other side.

"Brilliant," Riley commented dryly. "But now what? In case you haven't noticed, the water is still coming in."

"No problem," Ian told him with a grin. "Shaw!"

The bald Brit needed no other direction, and in one smooth movement, he drew out his gun, aimed, and shot the rope free. The noise as the stone slab came crashing down was thunderous, but in a moment it was all over. The water had stopped, and they were safe!

"We're alive!" Without even realizing how it had happened, Tori found herself locked in a tight embrace with Riley. She was shaking, still more than slightly traumatized, and her dear friend's presence was like a steadying rock. She clung to him as they all slowly began the long journey out, and he clearly did not mind at all.

Meanwhile, Ian hurried to join Mitch at the front of the procession.

"All right, Wilkinson," he growled, "you've got your treasure. Now where's Phil?"

"And Haley!" Tori shouted out from the rear.

But Mitch made no reply, only continued to lead the way back up toward the surface. Thankfully it was already dark outside, otherwise the sunlight would have been simply blinding. But the dark of night wasn't the only thing waiting for them.

Two of Mitch's own henchmen were there as well, and when Tori and Riley were the last ones to step out into the fresh air, they suddenly found themselves in vice-like grips with guns against their temples.

With a short yelp, Tori froze at once but managed to maintain her grip on Riley. If anything, her grasp was even tighter now, and she could tell, just from how tense he was beside her, that he was every bit as scared as she was.

But their apprehension wasn't the only thing that had transpired in the confusion, for when she looked about her at the others, what Tori saw surprised her greatly. Shaw now had his gun to Mitch's head, just as Powell and Viktor did to the two men who held Riley and herself captive. So now what? To her, it all just looked like one great standoff.

But Ian seemed to have all that under control. With a deliberate smirk, he slowly stalked over to Mitch, who now looked very nervous indeed. That wasn't surprising. The man was a coward, blackmailing other people to search for a treasure he desired because he was too craven to do it himself.

Ian began, "You shouldn't have underestimated me, Wilkinson. You seem to have thought of everything – except the basic numbers. And you should have realized long ago that you aren't the only one who knows how to play this game."

As the Englishman spoke, Tori felt an undeniable twinge of pride, despite her desperate fears of the moment. How awesome was it to have Ian on their side! Even the man with the gun behind her felt tense and nervous. He had good reason to be.

"I knew you would never just let us walk out of this alive," Ian continued. "Now, you let us go and tell us where our friends are, or none of us walk out of here alive. So what's it going to be, Mitch? Are all of our lives more valuable than your own?"

Scarcely believing that things could turn around so quickly, Tori muttered, "Gee, thanks for consulting with the rest of us before laying out that life-or-death ultimatum here, Ian. We already cheated death once today – I don't wanna die now!"

Though her voice had risen, Ian paid her no heed. Shaw, however, spared a quick glance in her direction and winked. Inexplicably comforted, Tori nodded a little and squeezed Riley's hand in hopes of conveying some of that comfort to him. Only then did she realize that Ian and Company had everything under control.

The following silence was unbearably tense. Mitch's men were clearly uneasy now as they awaited their leader's decision. It seemed to take forever, as though they were all frozen here at this fateful moment in time. They waited.

"Very well," Mitch finally sighed. "You win. Drop your weapons!"

His henchmen seemed only too glad to do so, and their firearms were quickly confiscated by those more worthy of them. Powell and Viktor then set about binding their new captives' hands and feet, while everyone else exchanged hugs of inexpressible gratitude and relief. Tori and Riley held onto each other for an exceptionally long period of time, but neither of them seemed to notice.

Mitch was tied up separately from his cronies. Shaw wanted to mutilate the man right then and there, but Ian contended that they should find Phil first and see how he was before they did anything too rash to Mitch. As it was, they would just leave him here and inform the police when the time was right. _After _Shaw's vengeance was complete, if need be.

In short order, they knew where Haley and Phil were being kept, and it was time to leave. As they were walking back up to the cars, Powell came up behind Tori and asked, "You okay, kiddo?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! I'm still kinda shaken up, but I'll be fine, thanks to you guys."

Ian joined them. "I'm quite sorry we had to do that, Tori, but I felt certain it would work. Mitch is too much of a coward to gamble with his own life."

The brunette laughed. "I'm glad it did work, but I really hope you never have to gamble with _my _life again."

"Don't worry, T, I'll make sure he doesn't." Riley grabbed her arm with ill-concealed protectiveness and glared at Ian.

The Englishman rolled his eyes. "Please, Riley, we had everything under control. To be honest, we had been planning that for some time, but we figured we might as well find the treasure first, if indeed there was one to be found."

But the techie hardly seemed satisfied, and when they had arrived back at their cars, he hastily pulled Tori aside.

"Listen, T," he practically stammered, "I was really worried about you back there. In fact, I've never been more scared in my life…but it wasn't for myself. I'm glad you're okay, T."

Tori nodded her thanks, her own throat tightening when she heard the heartfelt warmth in Riley's voice. But any tears she might have felt coming on evaporated in the next instant as Riley leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

Tori blushed at once, but pleasantly so, while her hand moved unconsciously up to her cheek, and a loud chorus of "Aww's" rose up from those around them. Emily brought them a blanket from one of the car trunks so they could dry off and keep warm, and Tori couldn't help but wonder if the elder woman had only brought _one _blanket on purpose. But Riley wrapped the blanket around both their shoulders without complaint, and Tori happily snuggled up close against his side as they walked.

"Get a room already!" Shaw called after them with a roll of his bright eyes.

Tori glared back at him, but only playfully so. She was too tired, too relieved, and too overall happy to be mean right now. Yet she still teased, "Just for that, Shaw, I'm gonna kick the back of your seat all the way on the plane ride home."

He laughed. "I dare you."

Very soon, they were on Ian's plane and airborne once again. Tori and Riley sat side by side, still sharing the blanket and looking very happy indeed. She did dare to kick the back of Shaw's seat once, but Riley was quick to stop her. He looked worried for her safety, yet again, but she knew by now that Shaw would never really hurt her, even though he _had _glared back menacingly in their direction.

Far more amusing to Tori were the multiple sidelong, knowing glances she received from Powell who sat in the aisle across from her. Clearly, this latest development between her and Riley was nothing unexpected in his eyes.

"Oh don't worry, Powell," she assured him. "I know all about it. Haley already told me how 'observant' you are."

He chuckled in reply, and Tori contentedly nuzzled her nose down into Riley's shoulder. It was a sweet flight indeed back to Washington DC.

**Tori's A/N:** So, for all of you waiting… Riley and I are finally together. But, he certainly could have picked a much better time to ask me out… I'm just glad I survived! But now, I'm on my way to find Haley! Thanks for sticking with us!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary:** The long-awaited sequel to Tori's and Halo's random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we're still just having fun. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I wish we could say differently this second time around, but even though we've now been a part of _National Treasure_, we still own nothing. Except ourselves, of course.

**Authors' A/N:** And here's part two for today!

**Chapter13**

When the plane landed, they once again had to take two cars to Mitch's hideout to accommodate their numbers. Ian and Company got there first. Powell and Viktor immediately took care of the two additional men Mitch had left behind while Shaw hurried on ahead to seek out their captive friends. In no time at all, he found them and called for his comrades to join him.

The bald Brit peered in through the opening at the top of the door, bracing himself for the worst, but what he saw was nothing like he had expected. Haley and Phil were still asleep, side by side, with her head resting against his shoulder. Shaw blinked, shook his head, and looked again.

"_This _is what we're rescuing him from?" he mused, incredulous.

Powell looked in after him and only laughed. He, for one, was not the least surprised.

Next came Ian, and though he deliberately shook his head at the irony of the sight, he at once ordered Shaw to break in as quickly as possible. His right-hand-man was only too happy to oblige. It was easy enough to get past the door, but not without enough commotion to wake the room's sleeping inhabitants. The rescuers strode inside.

"Shaw!" Haley leapt to her feet, and before the man in question could react, she had him wrapped up in a tight embrace. "Oh my gosh, Shaw, I never thought I'd be so happy to see you!"

Stunned and slightly overwhelmed by the frenzied greeting, Shaw awkwardly patted her on the shoulder, then tried to peel her away so he could reach Phil. Haley didn't even notice, drawn away of her own accord by the appearance of the others. She proceeded to hug Ian, who likewise tried to get past her as quickly as possible to see Phil, then moved on to Powell who reciprocated with a huge bear hug of his own.

"Glad you're all right, Halo," he said warmly.

"Thanks, Powell, I – hey, wait a minute." Haley pulled back from their embrace but kept a firm grip on his arms. "How do you know my nickname? I don't remember telling you guys back when we were looking for the Templar Treasure."

Powell grinned, looking for all the world like a little, mischievous child. "You didn't. But I saw it when I read your texts with Tori. I always thought it a fitting name for you."

"Aw, thanks." Haley hugged him again. "I always knew I liked you, Powell – but not as much as Phil, of course."

At that last statement, the Scotsman smiled knowingly, as was his wont, and winked at her.

"Oh, come on," the brunette exclaimed, fighting a blush. "You knew about us from the very beginning – probably even before Phil and I did!"

Powell's face suddenly grew more serious. "How is he?"

Haley winced. "Not good. He's been acting all tough for me, but I know he's in pretty bad shape."

"She's right," Shaw added from the bed. He and Ian had helped their friend sit up, but Phil was still obviously in great pain. "He's got several cracked ribs and possibly a concussion."

"Does he need professional attention?" Ian inquired, his expression grave.

Shaw heaved a deep sigh. "If we weren't wanted, I'd say yes; but as it is, there's nothing life-threatening. He'll be fine enough after a lot of rest and inactivity."

"Oh great," Phil moaned. "Just what I wanted."

At that moment, the sound of thundering footsteps echoed nearer, and the rest of their comrades arrived. Which, naturally, meant many more hugs all around.

"HALO!" Tori shrieked as she crushed her friend in an embrace. "Halo, we were so worried about you!"

"_I _was worried about _you_," the older girl retorted. "We overheard Mitch saying that we would _all _be expendable once he found the treasure."

Ian offered his own explanation. "We figured that was his intent all along, and we were ready for him."

"Yeah, they took care of him for us," Tori contributed enthusiastically, "even though I still almost died like three times! But it was worth it to get you back, Halo."

Haley smiled, teary-eyed and deeply touched, before moving to hug her dear friend once more. It was so wonderful to be reunited! Haley then moved on to greet the others who had come with Tori while the younger brunette herself went back over to join Riley.

Haley suddenly saw the two of them holding hands and grinned devilishly. "Tori-kins, do I see a double-date in our future?"

"Maybe," Riley hurriedly supplied, "but only after our first one alone."

Grinning from ear-to-ear, Tori reached up to return Riley's earlier kiss on the cheek. Haley looked on and laughed.

"And why didn't you tell us about Phil?" Ben demanded. He was overjoyed to have them back, certainly, but part of him was still indignant that he had never been privy to their secret.

Haley shrugged and replied, a bit sheepishly, "What did you want me to tell you? That I was secretly dating an escaped convict, much less one of your former colleagues who tried to kill you two years ago? I'm sorry, Ben, but I figured the fewer people who knew, the better. Besides, I couldn't risk your telling Sadusky. I know the two of you are close."

Ben nodded, reasonably pacified, and together they all moved out into the open air.

"Ah, sun!" Haley exclaimed, spreading her arms wide open and turning her face up to the morning sunlight. It felt so good! She had no idea how Ian and Company had maintained their sanity while being locked away for two whole years. Speaking of which, Shaw and Powell were helping Phil move at a slow walk as she hovered around close by.

But just then, sirens and cop cars exploded onto the scene from out of nowhere. The FBI had finally caught up with them. Haley felt her breath catch in her chest. This was exactly how the first "movie" had ended! Please, she couldn't deal with that again, especially not when so much had already happened in one day.

The lead police car came to a halt, and Agents Sadusky and Hendricks stepped out. Tori glared venomously at the latter man, and he fastidiously avoided her gaze.

"I think he's afraid of you, T," Riley whispered into her ear.

"Oh, he knows not to mess with me," his young lady friend hissed in reply. "Trust me, Riley."

He squeezed her shoulder. "I do – don't worry."

More agents appeared, drawing their guns in a flourish of crime-fighting drama, yet no one moved forward to apprehend them. Haley clung to Phil's arm so hard her knuckles turned white, looking for all the world as if she were ready to go off to jail with him this time, if need be. But still no one moved, on either side. Things were officially getting weird.

But then the door of a sleek black sedan opened, and out stepped the President of the United States himself. Tori heard Ben utter a faint groan behind her, and Abigail placed a hand of comfort on his forearm.

"Mr. Gates," the President began, nodding, "I am truly glad that you have found your friends – as well as another one of history's priceless treasures." He directed his gaze toward the others. "And I would like to thank you and your colleagues, Mr. Howe, for the part you played a few nights ago at Mount Vernon. The snipers you apprehended were actually part of an assassination attempt planned for that very evening – an attempt which _you _unwittingly foiled."

Ian blinked, evidently surprised, and glanced back at his comrades. They'd no idea!

The President went on, "And since it seems that I may very well owe you gentlemen my life, I've decided to pardon you – _all _of you – for any laws you may have broken up until this moment in time."

"Hooray!" Strangely enough, it was Riley who was first to celebrate, which he did by grabbing Tori and kissing her long and hard on the mouth.

"It's about time!" Powell exclaimed, grinning madly.

Haley laughed again, inexpressibly relieved. "You have no idea! And this means I get to keep Phil this time, too!"

Enraptured in the heat of the moment, she wrapped Phil up in a big hug, only to have him grimace and double over, despite Shaw's supporting hands.

"Sorry, sorry!" his girlfriend apologized frantically.

Agent Sadusky stepped forward and motioned for them to follow. "Come with me. We have an ambulance here, so let's get you two looked at."

"But I'm fine," Haley insisted, an assertion which the doctors soon confirmed. They also determined Phil would be well enough in time, provided he got plenty of rest like Shaw had previously diagnosed. Overall, it was an extremely happy time!

But meanwhile, Tori saw Agent Sadusky approach Ian and overheard him tell the Englishman, "Mr. Howe, you and your colleagues have been pardoned this time, but I suggest you be on your best behavior from now on. One misdemeanor, and I promise you'll be right back where you came from."

Ian only smiled at the threat, like a true English gentleman, and properly replied, "Understood." Clearly, he would not have expected anything different.

Sadusky then moved on to stand beside Haley who was anxiously waiting for Phil outside the ambulance.

"It's nice to see you smile at me for a change," he remarked casually. "Although, I think now I understand why you were never happy to see me before."

"No, I wasn't," the young woman admitted glumly. "I mean, you _did _steal my boyfriend, and then you kept him for two years! I wanted to cry every time I saw you."

Sadusky chuckled. "I could tell. But now I think the tears of joy you've shed today are definitely an improvement." He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I hope things can be better between us from now on?"

Haley wiped away some of those "tears of joy" and nodded with a genuine smile. Maybe Sadusky wasn't such a jerk after all.

"So, Riley," Ben called out all of a sudden. "I promised you last time that if we ever found another treasure that redefined history for all mankind, you would get to pick the finder's fee. So, what's in gonna be this time?"

"Five percent," his techie friend replied without missing a beat. But when Abigail raised an eyebrow at him, he quickly went on to explain, "Because there are more of us to share it with this time around."

"That's very generous of you, Riley," Ian drawled from behind him.

"Oh believe me, Ian, I'm not doing this for you. I just don't want Shaw coming after me for his share."

Once they had all shared a good laugh over that, the President spoke again. "Actually, Mr. Poole, I believe I have something else here that will be of equal interest to you."

Riley accepted the piece of formal-looking paperwork that was offered him, and after he had skimmed over it, a huge smile lit up his face with childlike glee.

"T!" he burst out, scarcely able to contain his joy. "Tori, we get our baby back!"

From where he still stood beside the ambulance, Shaw's head snapped up, and his eyes went wide. "What?!"

"Oh no!" Tori laughed, overjoyed but eager to set things straight. "No, Shaw, he means his Ferrari – his 'baby' that I sort of adopted, too."

That seemed to appease him, but the Brit still looked mighty suspicious, and Tori just knew she was bright red. It wasn't that hard to make her blush, after all.

In the end, they told Sadusky where Mitch and Company were hidden, even though Shaw was thoroughly disgusted over the fact that he wouldn't be getting his revenge. Knowing him, he probably already had something particularly macabre in mind for their favorite Southerner.

Haley sighed, perhaps a mite disappointed herself. "Ah well. But I suppose _somebody's_ got to go to prison. Right, Agent Sadusky?"

The head of the FBI nodded his agreement but then stopped suddenly, most befuddled, as his memory caught up with him. Haley had not been there – either at the FBI headquarters in Philadelphia or in Trinity Church.

So how in blazes did she know that line?

**Tori's A/N:** Yay, so everything's right with the world, at least for now. So, now we have a couple of more chapters, so keep an eye out to see how this adventure wraps up!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary:** The long-awaited sequel to Tori's and Halo's random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we're still just having fun. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I wish we could say differently this second time around, but even though we've now been a part of _National Treasure_, we still own nothing. Except ourselves, of course.

**Authors' A/N:** Hooray, we are almost done! On to mostly fluff-stuff now. Our "Happy Ending." Enjoy!

**Conclusion**

All too quickly, the autumn of their latest adventures turned to winter, and now the holidays were upon them. Christmas celebrated with the entire gang had been simply marvelous, and tonight was New Year's Eve. It was a weighty time indeed, and not just because of New Year's resolutions.

Haley and Phil were getting ready to go out – they still maintained their tradition of nightly walking – but the female half of the couple was somewhat reticent to leave.

"Go on, you two," Tori urged them, shaking her head in bemusement. "I really hope you don't let me stop you."

"But, Tori, I hate leaving you here by yourself in this big house on New Year's Eve," Haley argued. "It just doesn't feel right."

Tori rolled her hazel eyes. "Oh, please, Halo, don't worry about me. I'll be fine! You guys just go ahead and enjoy yourselves. And besides, I'd hate to be a bother. Now get out that door before I shove you out myself."

"Well, all right," Haley conceded, "if you're sure. But still, no one should be home alone on New Year's Eve. Why don't you call Riley and see what he's up to?"

"He's probably sitting all dejected by the phone, just waiting for her to call," Phil added good-humoredly. "I'm sure he'd _love_ to have some company, Tori."

Tori rolled her eyes again, blushing and incredulous, but grinned despite herself. "You know what, Phil, I think I will. Now will you two please get out of here?"

"Okay, okay, we're going," Haley laughed. "See you when we see you, Tori-kins!"

When the two little lovebirds had departed, Tori slumped down into her favorite recliner and simply let the silence wash over her. Unfortunately, she couldn't help thinking back to a conversation she'd had with her best friend earlier that very same day. Suffice to say, it hadn't been a very encouraging one.

Both young women were afraid that they would be sent back to the "real world" at midnight – now that both _National Treasure_ movies had ended and a new year was about to begin. Was there really any hope that they could stay? They didn't know. All they knew was that they were both finally happy here, and they didn't want it to ever end. In all honesty, they had only just recently adjusted to the fact that they never would be going "home," as they knew it. And now they weren't sure they even wanted to go back.

_Well, if it's going to be our last night here in this universe, then I'm spending mine with Phil, _Haley had declared resolutely at the end of their discussion.

And now Tori couldn't help but agree. If this was to be her last night here, what better way was there to spend it than with the one person dearest to her in all the world?

She didn't call ahead to let Riley know she was coming; she only hoped his company would cheer her up. She gave a more subdued knock than was customary of her, and a moment later, the door swung open.

"T!" Riley wrapped her up in a hug, and the couple shared a quick kiss before he ushered her forward. "Come on in. So what brings you to my humble home? I thought for sure you'd already have plans with Haley."

"No, nothing much," Tori responded, a bit despondent. "She and Phil left to go on one of their walks right before I came here."

The techie screwed up his nose in disbelief. "They still do that? Go on their very late night strolls when he's not even a wanted man anymore?"

"Yep – at least three or four times every week, like clockwork."

"Well, I think it's very un-cool that they left you all alone on New Year's Eve."

But Tori waved away his indignation, just like she had for Haley earlier that night. "It's okay, really. I told them to go. I would've just been in the way, and I didn't feel like playing the third wheel tonight."

"Well, I, for one, am glad you decided to stop over. You want some hot chocolate, T? It's really cold outside."

"Sure, thanks," she answered with a smile.

With that, Riley headed into the kitchen to prepare their drinks, and Tori sat down on a stool by the countertop to fiddle around on Riley's laptop. Just because she knew it would bug the crap out of him!

"So," she mused, "what have you been up to here?"

"Uh, nothing," he stammered quickly. "Just some research."

Tori's face lit up in an eager grin. "Oh – on what? Another fantastic treasure for us to find?" She rapidly scanned the page, only to look up again, incredulous, at her boyfriend.

"Mike? Riley, why on earth are you doing a background check on my lab partner?"

Riley shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure you were safe."

"From _Mike_? Riley, he's as mild and harmless as a puppy!" Smiling devilishly, she threw him an overt wink. "He's almost as nerdy as you are."

"Haha, T, very funny. But hey, did you know that you're 'mild and harmless' lab partner once got a ticket for having an expired license plate? Whaddya think of that, huh?"

"Riley!" the brunette exclaimed, fighting back a fit of laughter. "You crashed an entire car – our baby, for that matter! And I would know. I was there."

The obviously flustered techie retorted, "That's beside the point! Now here, drink your cocoa." He handed her a steaming snowman mug which she then took with her to the couch.

Before he joined her, Riley turned off all the lights in the apartment so that the only illumination came from the laptop screen on the counter and the Christmas tree lights in the corner.

"Here," he said, pulling blanket down overtop of them from the back of the couch. And so they snuggled up close for a while in perfect silence, just staring out the back window at a cold, cold winter's night.

After a time, Tori finally ventured, "Riley, you're not jealous of Mike, are you? Because you don' need to be. Believe me, I like you best of anyone."

"Well, I should hope so – we're dating, after all."

She giggled. "Riley, I've like you ever since the very first time I saw you."

The techie smiled. He appreciated the sentiments, certainly, but never to the extent that Tori meant them. He would never know. "Okay then, T, I think I can let it slide."

They shared another kiss, then went back to simply relishing each other's close company as hazy clouds rolled across the dark December sky.

Tori stole a glance at the digital clock on the end table and felt her heart skip a beat. Eleven forty-eight. She gulped.

"Um, Riley…what would you do if I disappeared? Or if I never even existed?"

Her boyfriend balked, appalled by the mere thought. "Why do you even ask? You're not going anywhere, T. You and I have been through too much together already, and I'm not about to let you go now!"

He squeezed her hand to emphasize the point, and Tori swallowed thickly, blinking back tears and still fearing midnight.

"Thanks," she managed at last. "I love you, Riley."

Riley planted a gentle kiss on the top of her head and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "I love you too, T."

And once again, Tori's breath caught in her chest. This might be her last opportunity to tell him…

"You know, Riley, 'Tori' is just a nickname. It's the one Haley always uses for me, which is why you know it. But my real name is Susannah."

"Susannah, huh?" He took a moment to mull over that. "It's pretty, but I think I still like 'T' better."

His girlfriend smiled and playfully rolled her eyes. He really was hopeless. But another glance at the clock told her it was eleven fifty-nine, and her mirth instantly faded. She scooted closer to him, not sure if he even noticed.

Midnight came, and Tori held her breath. Midnight went, and she let it out. They were still here! She was so happy, she was practically on the verge of tears again. Riley, of course, was oblivious.

"Happy New Year, T," he said, looking affectionately down at her.

Well nigh beaming in her relief, Tori looked back up and kissed him again. "Happy New Year, Riley."

They turned their gazes back to the large window before them, and as they watched, it began to snow.

"It's so beautiful," Tori sighed, letting herself slump back against Riley's chest. "I haven't seen snow since the day we met you guys on _The Charlotte._"

Riley drew a deep breath, clearly reveling in the memory just as much as she was. "Yeah. That was a good day. Apart from the time when we almost got blown up at first."

Tori grinned up at him – this guy just never changed. And she could truly say now, more than ever before when all she had were the _National Treasure _movies, that she "loved Riley Poole."

Not far from the content couple in Riley's apartment, Haley and Phil walked hand-in-hand under the same snowfall, and at least for the time being, all was right with the world.

**Halo's A/N: **Aww, what a perfectly perfect ending! But is this really the end? You'll know soon enough!


	15. Epilogue

**Summary:** The long-awaited sequel to Tori's and Halo's random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we're still just having fun. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I wish we could say differently this second time around, but even though we've now been a part of _National Treasure_, we still own nothing. Except ourselves, of course.

**Authors' A/N:** Okay, so not quite the end yet. But you're almost there, I promise!

**Epilogue**

Ben and Abigail's wedding took place the following May. Riley was the best man, and Tori and Haley were the bridesmaids, both of whom absolutely adored their pale blue halter-top dresses. But as much as they were looking forward to the wedding, they were almost equally excited by the thought of seeing Riley and Ian and Company in tuxes. With the exception of Ian, it would be a novel treat.

The ceremony itself went off without a hitch, as the spring weather was simply perfect for the outdoor setting the newlyweds had desired, and the reception later that afternoon was held in a fabulous dining hall with large French door all around to facilitate moving in and out of doors.

After they had been dancing for over an hour, and the first notes of Sting's "Wrapped Around Your Finger" began to play, Tori and Riley chose to take a brief breather and seek out some of their other friends. They searched extensively for Haley and Phil, but with no luck. Finally, they consulted Ian.

"Ian," Tori called, "we can't find Haley or Phil. Do you know where they are?"

"They might have gone outside," Powell answered from beside his leader, utterly oblivious to the latter man's frantic attempts for him to keep quiet. Because, unlike Powell, Ian knew full well what Phil was up to.

But it was too late, and Tori and Riley were already gone. Outside they did indeed find the older couple they sought, appearing just in time to see them breaking apart from a long kiss.

"Whoa, sorry!" Riley hurriedly apologized. "We'll just be going now."

But Haley stopped them. "No, wait, it's okay!" Her face stretched in a huge smile, she waved them back over with her left hand, and as they drew closer, her ring finger sparkled. Tori was the first to notice.

"Ahh! Halo!" She then proceeded to squeeze the life out of her dearest friend as they spun each other around in the midst of their ecstasy.

Even Riley was grinning madly as he approached the groom-to-be. "Congratulations, Phil! I'm sorry, but you just never really struck me as the marrying type."

"Ian didn't think so, either," Phil chuckled.

The techie raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Does Ian know?"

"Oh yeah. He helped me pick out the ring, and the song to request beforehand. He's already agreed to be my best man, too."

"Ah, I see. So she really does have you 'wrapped around her finger,' huh? That's cool, and very creative, too. But you've gotta tell me, was it weird shopping for an engagement ring with another guy?"

Phil offered a small shrug. "Sort of. I suppose he could have made it a whole lot worse, though. And I'm sure Shaw would have, which is exactly why I didn't ask him for any help."

Riley's eyes widened. "Does Shaw know?"

"No. None of the others do yet, but they will soon enough."

"Shaw's gonna give you such a hard time about this!" the younger man laughed.

"They all will. They'll never let me live it down." His dark eyes turned back to Haley, softening when he saw her smiling and laughing with Tori. "But I don't care. They can say whatever they want, it won't change my mind."

"But they'll still be happy for you, I'm sure," Tori herself put in, having caught the very end of that conversation, and all four of them sat down together on the benches outside the dining hall.

"This is so great!" Riley exclaimed, taking Tori's hand in his own. "There's just one thing Phil and I still don't understand – where _did _you two come from back when we found you by _The Charlotte_?"

The girls' smiles faded from their faces at once as they exchanged uncertain, apprehensive glances.

Haley cleared her throat. "You want the truth – like, the _real _truth?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, then." Tori drew a deep breath and began. "Here goes nothing…" And so over the next twenty minutes, the two young women took turns sharing the true story of how they'd become a part of this "alternate universe." When all was said and done, they collectively held their breath, anxiously awaiting the men's response.

Riley and Phil just stared at them for a moment, clearly skeptical, before Riley finally burst into a fit of laughter, and Phil shook his head with a longsuffering sigh.

"Haley, Sweetheart, you know I love you more than anything…but please don't ever repeat that story around Ian. He already thinks the two of you are weird enough as it is."

"You don't believe us?" Haley looked crestfallen.

"Yeah, you asked for the 'real story'," Tori added.

Her hysterical boyfriend finally caught his breath. "Yeah, but if I were you, T, I'd stick with that first story you told us – the one about you guys being the failed product of some crazy science experiment. I liked that one better."

The young brunette dropped her jaw and playfully punched him on the arm. "You would, wouldn't you, you big geek."

The resulting laughter from all four of them created such a raucous that it gradually drew all the rest of their other comrades, who eagerly joined in the celebration. Few among them could remember a single happier time than the fairy-tale ending of that night.

**The End**

_**(Or Is It?)**_


	16. Epilogue to the Epilogue

**Summary:** The long-awaited sequel to Tori's and Halo's random silliness. Title still says it all, and please bear in mind, we're still just having fun. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I wish we could say differently this second time around, but even though we've now been a part of _National Treasure_, we still own nothing. Except ourselves, of course.

**Authors' A/N:** Okay, okay, you caught us. We lied. But now, see, here you've really, truly, finally reached The End!

**Epilogue to the Epilogue**

_**(Because we can't forget Tori)**_

Haley and Phil were married that same year on September the twenty-second – the same day as Frodo and Bilbo Baggins' shared birthday. It was an intentional coincidence, of course. The ceremony and reception alike had been beautiful and simple, followed by a two week honeymoon for the couple in the British Virgin Islands. Magnificent.

The girls had taken their significant others on another road trip back to the Midwest, just to show them where they had once "lived" in a last-ditch effort to verify the truth of their fantastic tale. The two men had both appeared slightly more convinced, but Phil still begged them not to tell Ian.

And now, just over a month since the wedding, it was Halloween, and the newlyweds were off somewhere with Ian and Company for a drink. Tori, still being only twenty and a half, was not old enough to accompany them, but that didn't bother her. She probably wouldn't have wanted to go anyway.

Phil and Haley had chosen to reside in the home the two young ladies already occupied. The house was just so big, it made little sense for Tori to live there all by herself. And once again, she didn't mind. It was a little weird, admittedly, but it was still preferable to living in this veritable mansion all alone.

As she'd told Riley just last night, "Even though I'm not living by myself, it still gets kind of lonely sometimes."

And so here she was, at home baking cookies and handing out candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween afternoon. As always, she was listening to her iPod while she baked, using the length of the songs as a makeshift timer for her delicious confections.

But then, suddenly, whose voice should she hear over the earphones than Riley Poole's himself.

"Hey, T."

Tori grinned, amused, but kept baking. This certainly was a surprise – a little Halloween gift, perhaps? Then why in the world did he sound so nervous?

The techie's voice continued, "There's, uh, something I've been wanting to tell you. I mean, ask you. Tell you _and _ask you, but…oh, never mind. You'll see."

The stammering young man drew a deep breath. "Here we go: in Elvish, with Haley's help, of course."

And thus began a most confusing audible journey. Tori listened, utterly bewildered, as Riley continued to say one line in a variety of bizarre languages. After Elvish, there was Klingon, Binary, Morse Code, German, really bad French, Japanese, Abu Dhabi, and Pig Latin. But not until he arrived at "Backwards," did she finally begin to understand.

"Tori, I hate you. Will you divorce me?"

After one last moment of horrible confusion, the light dawned, and tears started welling up in her eyes, obstructing her view of the cookies she was trying to place on a cooling rack.

Dear Riley then moved on to new territory, most of which she could finally comprehend. He spoke in exaggerated Shakespearean English, butchered a singing of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?", and said those fateful words while upside down and with this shirt inside out.

As he progressed, Tori's trembling hands drew out her iPod, only for her to behold with wonder that the song art on her screen matched whatever genre her beloved techie was speaking in. At last, Riley's romantic rant came to an end, and the final picture that appeared on her screen was one of him down on one knee with a small ring box in his hand.

"Tori, I love you more than life itself – even more than my laptop! Will you marry me?"

The tears were really coming down now, her shoulders shaking, and just as she was wondering what to do next, the doorbell rang. Tori sniffled, hastily blowing her nose and wiping her eyes before grabbing her bowl of candy and hurrying to the door.

A lad in a very convincing Joker's mask awaited her, but he seemed awfully tall for your typical trick-or-treater. Tori waited for him to say "Trick or Treat!", but instead, the figure slowly reached up to remove his mask.

It was Riley Poole.

"Riley!"

In less than a heartbeat, Tori dropped the bowl of candy all over the ground and threw herself into Riley's arms.

The techie grunted a little at the force of the sudden impact, seeming a bit surprised himself by her enthused greeting.

"So, can I take that as a 'yes'?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Riley, of course I'll marry you!"

Riley's face seemed to melt into a perfect smile then, and Tori thought he looked happier than she'd ever seen him – even more than when they found the stairs beneath Trinity Church.

"Great! Then you'll need this."

He removed a ring box from his pocket, opened it up for her inspection, and slowly slid it on her finger. Tori, as you might imagine, cried right through the entire thing.

"Riley, that was so clever! But when did you do it?"

"Last night, when you were over at my place. See, I played _Remember the Titans _'cause I know you've seen it so many times it puts you right to sleep. Then, after you'd dozed off, I 'borrowed' your iPod, put on the tracks, and returned it to your bag without you ever noticing. The whole plan worked like a charm."

They hugged again, sharing a deep kiss this time, but were quite rudely interrupted.

"Um, did we miss something? Again?"

The couple jerked apart and turned their heads as one to see Phil and Haley grinning madly at them.

"Well?" Haley pressed expectantly.

Tori was beaming. "Oh, Halo, guess what?! Riley proposed, and we're engaged!"

"Yes!" The older wrapped up her friend in a tight hug. "I knew it would happen, I just knew it! Just wait until Ben hears about it. I told him all along it would work out." She then moved on to embrace Riley.

"Well, Riley, despite the rocky beginnings of our relationship, I guess this means that you're about to become my adopted, long-lost brother-in-law. And you both know what that means – I'll have to start calling him 'Riley-kins'!"

The techie groaned and threw a pitiable glance over at Phil. "You know, you're lucky she hasn't come up with many good nicknames for you yet."

The older man nodded. "I know."

"So what's the plan, then?" Haley inquired eagerly.

"Well," Tori mused thoughtfully, "I would like to be married on December twenty-ninth, since that's the same day my grandmother got married. And I know it's only two months away, which isn't a long time to plan a wedding, but we can do it. I don't need anything real fancy, anyhow."

"Are you guys going to stay here, too, or move into Riley's?"

"Riley's, definitely!" the young bride-to-be answered for both of them. She knew how much he loved that apartment, and she'd already come to think of it as her second home, too.

He truly did seem to appreciate her decision. "Awesome, T! So, it looks like you two lovebirds will end up having this big place all to yourselves, huh?"

"Well, actually," Phil began, "we were just going to talk to Tori about that."

Tori cocked her head inquisitively. "About what?"

Haley exchanged glances, and grins, with Phil. "It turns out you guys have practically perfect timing. You know, we were just out tonight with the guys, and they've all got their own personal business to attend to over the next month or so. But after that…well, they've really got nothing set in stone. So, it all started as more of a joke, but the more we talked about it, the more we realized it might actually be a good idea. "

"_What_ might be a good idea?"

Haley's smile turned rather brittle. "If they all moved in with us."

Riley's jaw nearly hit the ground. "Who?!"

"Ian, Shaw, and Powell," supplied Phil.

"No Viktor?" Tori questioned.

"He has to go back to Russia in a couple weeks, and we're not sure when or even if he'll be coming back to the States," Haley explained.

"When would they be moving in?"

"In the middle of December," answered Phil. "There's more than enough room, but we needed to make sure it was all right with you, Tori, before making anything official. But now it looks like you'll be moving out only a couple weeks after they move in. Could you handle that?"

Tori grinned. She could already tell Riley didn't like the idea, but what the heck. "Of course, I could! I can live with anyone for a couple of weeks, plus I'm sure it'll fly by. But, Haley, are you sure _you_ won't mind having all of them here, and you the only girl?"

"Oh, I'm absolutely fine with it! It'll be just like old times, only now there's enough rooms for everyone to have their own. Besides, they probably won't all be here all the time. Ian, at least, has several other residences around the world. So as long as we can still get a cleaning service in here once or twice a week, there shouldn't be any problems."

Tori laughed aloud, knowing firsthand what a neat-freak her best friend could be. "Yeah, good luck with that, Halo! It'll be fun, though I still think I'll be ready to move out after two weeks in the same house with Shaw."

Everyone laughed at that, until their laughter was abruptly interrupted by a sharp beeping noise coming from inside the house. It was the smoke alarm, and Tori's eyes widened in horror when she saw tiny tendrils of smoke escaping through the kitchen window.

"T, were you cooking something?"

"Oh, crap," the brunette sighed. There went her cookies! "So…anyone else up for pizza?"

**The End**

**(For Real)**

_**Until next time…**_


End file.
